Immigration
Provincial Nomination Program
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) offers accelerated immigration for qualified skilled workers and experienced entrepreneurs who wish to settle in British Columbia (BC) and become permanent residents of Canada.
This program is administered on behalf of the Province of BC by the Ministry of Economic Development in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the federal government agency responsible for immigration.
The BC PNP selects and nominates potential immigrants for permanent residence who have the ability to become economically established in BC, and who will provide significant economic benefits to the province.
Individuals nominated by the Province of BC, together with their spouse and dependent children, are eligible to apply for a permanent resident visa from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) in the Provincial Nominee Class. CIC gives priority to processing permanent resident visa applications for Provincial Nominees. CIC makes the final decision on these applications.
Strategic Occupations
The Strategic Occupations component of the BC PNP supports BC employers who need to recruit or retain highly qualified foreign workers to help meet their current and future skill needs, and whose activities contribute to the Province’s economic development objectives. The employer and the prospective employee (nominee candidate) submit a joint application to the program.
Full details are available at: www.ecdev.gov.bc.ca/ProgramsAndServices/PNP/index.htm
Transport Canada Licensing
Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Licensing in CanadaTransport Canada is the primary governing body for AME licensing in Canada. An AME license allows a person authorization to sign out the airworthiness of an aircraft.
Candidates may apply to be licensed as:
- AME – M1 (Mechanic under 12,500 lbs)
- AME – M2 (Mechanic over 12,500 lbs) Transport Category
- AME – S (Structures)
- AME – E (Avionics)
Candidates who wish to be licensed in Canada (from a foreign country) must meet certain pre-requisites:
- Original course diploma / certificate
- A transcript of the topics studied & hours associated
- A copy of your marks obtained.
- Your current AME license as issued
- Birth certificate
- Passport
- CDN Immigration Record and Work Visa
The aviation training requires both theory & practical content, and translated versions (into English or French) must be notarized or certified. Unfortunately, foreign military training & experience has proven to be difficult to quantify to Canadian regulators.
Transport Canada will review the information submitted, and make a determination of eligibility to write the licensing exams or direct you to further training in deficient areas.
Once the pre-requisites are completed & accepted, candidates then write a series of examinations to demonstrate knowledge in:
- Airframe
- Powerplant
- Structures
- Avionics
- Standard Practices
- CARS (Canadian Aviation Regulations)
Once successfully completed, a candidate is issued an AME license by Transport Canada.
For further training and experience requirements, information can be found on the Transport Canada website: http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/maintenance/AARPC/MSI/Msi_18.htm.
Approved Maintenance Organization Certifications in Canada
In addition to Transport Canada, candidates may be eligible for certifications through:
- Kelowna Flightcraft Ltd
- Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council (CAMC)
- Canadian Institute of Non-Destructive Examination (CINDE)
- Professional Engineers & Geoscientists of BC.
Kelowna Flightcraft provides Aircraft Certification Authority (ACA) to licensed AME’s who have undertaken type certificate training; and Shop Certificate Authority (SCA) {in house certification} to qualified candidates who meet or exceed the requirements.
CAMC provides certification (but not licensing) for positions such as component overhaul technician, engine technician, painter, and NDT technician plus 20 other aviation occupations.
Full details are available at: www.CAMC.ca
The Professional Engineers & Geoscientists of BC license engineers to work in BC. (each province has their own licensing body). Further information can be found at: www.apeg.bc.ca
The Canadian Institute of Non-Destructive Examination (CINDE) information on NDT work can be found at: www.cinde.ca
