Location: National
Issue/Source: Pilot Licensing Update
Date: March 7, 2023
Suggested responses
- Transport Canada (TC) recognizes the pandemic resulted in a significant impact on human resources in the aviation industry.
- Provided an aviation pilot meets the Canadian Aviation Regulations Part IV Licensing Standards, they can be issued the appropriate license or permit covered by their training. However, permanent residency is often required for immigration purposes to be able to work in the aviation sector.
- The Canadian Aviation Regulations also provide some limited experience credits for any foreign students that have completed some training in their source countries. The Regulations also require the candidate to provide proof of citizenship, though this does not need to be Canadian citizenship.
- Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) requires Study Permits and in some cases Student Visas before students can start training at a flight school.
- TC is working with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and IRCC to accelerate processing of those permits/visas and to develop targeted immigration programs that encourage foreign students to come to Canada for training and to remain here as flight instructors or commercial pilots employed by Canadian industry.
If Pressed
- TC is also working with the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC), the Canadian Council of Aerospace and Aviation (CCAA), and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to address barriers for Canadian students related to the high cost of training.
Background Information
Data and Research:
- To supplement its own annual licensing statistical reports and those available from Statistics Canada, TC recently met with the Canadian Council of Aerospace and Aviation to follow up on their detailed analysis of the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) shortage. They will assist the Department in developing more detailed information about the pilot shortage.
Offsetting the High Cost of Training:
- A 2022 survey conducted by the Air Transport Association of Canada identified the high cost of training for its member flight schools and operators as the primary obstacle inhibiting students from entering or completing their training. TC has begun discussions with ESDC on improving and standardizing access to student grants and loans which, varies considerably by province.
- TC will also continue to work with industry associations and enterprises to explore industry grants, scholarships, and “cadet” programs, which are conditional offers of employment with aviation enterprises upon graduation, provided the student continues to meet the training objectives.
Smart Immigration:
- The quantity of Canadian students alone is not sufficient, and international students provide much needed funding for the flight training industry. As a result, TC has begun discussions with IRCC to determine the optimal balance between short-term and long-term programs.
- An existing short-term program, the Foreign License Validation Certificates (FLVCs) program, can be used for foreign pilots meeting agreed International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards to work for up to a year with a Canadian company on the same type of aircraft. Longer-term programs seek to encourage international students with a path to permanent residency or citizenship by completing their initial training and serving as flight instructors for a few years to gain experience before moving on to the airlines.
Modernizing Regulations:
- TC consulted with industry on a Training Irritants Package of relatively minor regulatory amendments meant to address irritants identified by the aviation industry. Personnel Qualifications, Training, and Licensing is targeting Canada Gazette, Part I in spring 2023 [ Redacted ]
Maximize Training Capacity:
- It takes a few years to transform a new instructor into an experienced one that can mentor other instructors, become a Chief Flight Instructor, or a pilot examiner. However, last year the average dwell time dropped to 1.5 years, half of the minimum time required, and now TC is hearing that that dwell time is being measured in months. Addressing the cost barriers will help, but the industry will need to take the lead in setting up more cadet programs where future conditional employment of a flight instructor would be contingent on staying at the flight school for a fixed term. This will create a win-win situation for flight schools, instructors, and airlines.
Improving the Viability of Aviation Careers:
- TC aims to enable alliances and agreements between initial flight schools and the air operators to create “cadet” programs to financially sponsor students of merit from underrepresented groups or limited financial means. As well, conditional offers of employment would be made at key gates in their training. The same would apply to flight instructors to keep them instructing at the school for a few more years with the peace of mind that they have a slot and seniority number at their follow-on airline employer. Compensation and work lifestyle are also factors that are best addressed by the industry.
Awareness and Promotion:
- Awareness and promotion are a joint effort with other government agencies, educational and youth organizations, and the industry to promote awareness of the aviation industry and encourage members of underrepresented groups to consider it as their career.