Enroll Permanent Resident / Naturalized Citizen

[57Chevy]

Some answers can be found here

http://www.vcds-vcemd.forces.gc.ca/cic/ha-ci/hta-se-eng.asp

Basic Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for consideration for the Canadian Forces, you must meet the following minimal conditions:
* be a Canadian citizen; •Citizens of another country who have landed immigrant (Permanent Resident) status in Canada may also be considered for enrolment when the CF has need of their skill, when the position cannot be filled by a Canadian citizen, and if the national interest would not be prejudiced. However, only under exceptional circumstances will authority be granted to enrol a citizen of another country.

*be 18 years of age;
*have a high schooldiploma or equivalent.

 

[Khurram]

Thankx indeed for the reply....I would like to seek guidance as to what field or education should i adopt for my future endeavors being a military officer. Because i guess choosing a profession after landing for a military officer is difficult as compared to professional......Therefore i would like to seek candid opinion for selecting a line which could be close enough to my profession...........Pls put me wise and show me the path to excell and flourish.

Awaiting an encouraging reply.


Regards
Major Khurram

 

[Allgunzblazing]

Good day Major Malik,

First of all - all the best for your new home country.

Now for your question about applying to join the CF as a PR. I can shed some light on this topic. This info was given to me by recruiting staff when I had approached them as a PR -

Before the Recruiting Centre can accept your application, a non-citizen needs to be granted a citizenship waiver. This is done by the Commandant (an officer of the rank of Commodore/ MGen) of the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group. The address is Canadian Forces Recruiting Group Headquarters, 53 Colonel Road, Canadian Forces Base Borden, PO Box 1000 Station Main, Borden ON L0M 1C0.

Along with a covering letter, you will be required to send a CV, the format of which has to be as following -

1. Previous names;
2. Date of birth;
3. Place of birth;
4. List of all addresses lived at since birth;
5. Names and addresses of all immediate family members;
6. Reason for relocation to Canada;
7. Date of arrival in Canada;
8. Port of entry;
9. Date on which permanent residence was granted;
10. Education (list of all degrees/ diplomas along with the year and awarding institution and the Canadian equivalency. For this you can contact - http://www.cicic.ca/383/foreign-credential-recognition.canada. I suggest you start the credential evaluation process right away because it does take a few month. Mine took four months);
11. Area of specialization;
12. Employment;
13. Additional training and certification;
14. Volunteer experience;
15. Clubs/ organization/ community groups you belong to.

I don`t want to get your hopes up because I had not received any reply. The recruiting staff had told me not expect anything because as per them, citizenship waivers are granted only in the rarest of rare circumstances.

When you are in Canada, you can speak with the recruiting staff. They will give you the best and most up-to-date information. In the meantime, you could send an email to jobs@forces.ca.

All the information is as per my experience and what was told to me.

All the best.

 

[Khurram]

Thankx for the nice piece of credible information.....

Which field of study normally adopted by the ex military service immigrants ?

Which profession is more suitable for military immigrants to excell ?

Regards

 

[The_Falcon]

Citizenship waivers are rare and I wouldn't suggest contacting CFRG HQ directly.  I would suggest getting you get citizenship first and then be prepared to wait  quite some time for any security assessment to be completed prior to joining, as well the assessment may preclude certain occupations.

 

[Khurram]

What else profession would be more suitable to adopt then......?

 

[secondchance]

You can choose any profession according your skills which doesn't demand having Canadian citizenship.
For immigration to Canada I used program "Skilled workers and professionals" and I had interview in Canadian Embassy with immigration officer where he told me about employment in Canada. If you used the same program I believe immigration officer told you that you can not be military in Canada with PR card and you should wait till getting citizenship.
If you would like to be member of Canadian Forces you should wait about 4  ( 3 years living in Canada + about 1 year of citizenship application) years and after getting citizenship you can apply.
In my case I applied  next week after getting citizenship. Of course if National Defence decided that they need you - you can get job quickly.
But in most cases you should wait citizenship and start also from Basic Training as people who didn't have military experience. It is reality.
Also  security check can take up  to 18 months. It is big issue for non-born Canadians. My security check took 12 months.
i didn't want to to discourage you but I prefer to say things in reality.
Good luck!

 

[JohnSmith27]

I am currently a Permanent Resident living in Canada, I have lived here as a PR for 3 years, and have sent an application to for my Citizenship. Usually this process takes 1-2 years.. Would I be able to enlist in the Army while in the process or would I need to wait until I receive my Citizenship? Would they be able to speed up my process if I attempt to enlist?

 

[ModlrMike]

I am currently a Permanent Resident living in Canada, I have lived here as a PR for 3 years, and have sent an application to for my Citizenship. Usually this process takes 1-2 years..

Good for you, and welcome. The search feature at the top of the page would have given you the answers to your questions. None the less, I'll provide some insight. Just don't make a habit of not searching, it's considered bad form here.

Would I be able to enlist in the Army while in the process or would I need to wait until I receive my Citizenship?

No. In order to apply, one needs to be a Citizen.
http://www.forces.ca/en/page/howtoapply-106

Would they be able to speed up my process if I attempt to enlist?

No, refer back to answer one.

 

[JohnSmith27]

I have searched and I have found different answers, There are answers like yours saying I cannot until I become a citizen, and there are some saying that you can as a PR for reserves, or get a waiver. As for my current situation in regards to my application being in the process, nothing was addressed to this particular situation.

 

[MikeL]

I believe non citizens could join the Reserves at one time,  but the current rules say you require citizenship to join the Regular Force and Reserves.  Going off the official website that ModlrMike linked above my guess would be no,  your application would not be processed unless you are a citizen.  Talk to your local CFRC to confirm as they will give you the official answer,  I can just offer a guess.  Nor do I believe wanting to join the CF will speed up you getting citizenship.

WHO CAN APPLY:

To apply to the Canadian Forces, you must:
Be a Canadian Citizen.
Be 17 years of age, with parental consent, or older, except:
Regular Officer Training Plan – Junior applications must be 16 or older.
Have completed at least Grade 10 or Secondaire IV (in Quebec).
Certain entry programs and occupations require higher levels of education.

http://www.forces.ca/en/page/howtoapply-106

 

[ModlrMike]

I have searched and I have found different answers, There are answers like yours saying I cannot until I become a citizen, and there are some saying that you can as a PR for reserves, or get a waiver. As for my current situation in regards to my application being in the process, nothing was addressed to this particular situation.

The reference I supplied comes from the official page. It's pretty black letter leaving no room for interpretation or "particular situations". If in doubt, go to a Recruiting Centre. They'll certainly provide the best information of the subject.

 

[Allgunzblazing]

JohnSmith,

I had the same confusion that you have - forces.ca says that citizenship is required to join the Forces (even the Resserves), however the websites of certain Reserve units say that PRs may apply. I had contacted each of those units. Some got back to me, some didn't. The ones that did get back, told me that they accept Canadian citizens only. As per the Recruiting Centre, a Citizenship Waiver is possible if one is a specialist.

My file was reopened (long story), once I had got my letter from CIC inviting me for the citizenship ceremony. They will not accept your application anytime before. (This was my experience).

 

[secondchance]

Only having citizenship.My experience - I applied next day after Citizenship ceremony. You can prepare all files before,but when you apply you must provide original of Citizenship Certificate.Good luck!

 

[Ostrozac]

I have seen a few citizenship waivers processed in the last few years -- all of them were for people who were veterans of their respective home country's military, and the waivers were processed in order for the CF to take advantage of that experience. Some skills are in short supply.

 

[mariomike]

Would I be able to enlist in the Army while in the process or would I need to wait until I receive my Citizenship?

"Recruting of Permanent residents":
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/13555.0.html
3 pages

 

[The_Falcon]

1) You need to be a Citizen to apply.
2) Reserve websites saying PR Status is acceptable are out of date, since most sites don't have full time webmasters.
3) Waivers for citizenship are only granted in EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, there are already numerous threads/posts on what is consider exceptional.

 

[CXD]

Are there any options for me in the Canadian Military?

 

[Teen_Cadet]

Well the Canadian Forces does have combat engineers.
Edited for spelling*

 

[PuckChaser]

Your option is to enroll like everyone else, although your prior service may give you a leg up. You will also need your Canadian Citizenship before you can apply.