Canada is prioritizing foreign military members to immigrate to the country – here’s what you need to know

On February 18, Canada’s immigration department launched a new priority category under the Express Entry system, targeting foreign skilled military recruits to immigrate to the country.

This measure signals the importance of these recruits to Canada, a view echoed in the country’s recently released Defense Industrial Strategy—which emphasizes continued immigration initiatives for skilled military personnel as a central pillar of national defense planning going forward.

See your eligibility for all Express Entry streams and categories

Eligible foreign nationals who meet the requirements of this new category may receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence with lower ranking scores than other Express Entry candidates.

This article will cover the eligibility criteria for Canada’s new skilled military recruit category, including:

General eligibility;
Work experience requirements;
Job offer requirements; and
Education requirements.

General eligibility requirements

All foreign nationals who are seeking an ITA through a special category must first meet the basic eligibility requirements for one of the three programs managed under the Express Entry system:

Canadian Experience Class (CEC);
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP); or
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

In addition, to be eligible under the new Skilled military recruits category, you must be an “eligible foreign national who is serving in a recognized foreign military."

According to the ministerial instructions, “eligible foreign national” simply means “a foreign national whose expression of interest is in the Express Entry pool, established by the Express Entry instructions”.

The definition of “recognized foreign military,” however, is less clear and not explicitly outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) refers to the enrollment of “persons with former service” as someone who has previously served in “any foreign force”—noting that these individuals will be required to provide release papers to judge their enrollment.

Work experience requirements

To meet the work experience requirements for the Skilled military recruits category, Express Entry candidates must have:

A minimum of 10 years of continuous service (in a recognized foreign military); and
Work experience and training corresponding to one of the three eligible occupations under this category:
- Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces (NOC* 40042);
- Specialized members of the Canadian Armed Forces (NOC 42102); or
- Operations members of the Canadian Armed Forces (NOC 43204).

Each of these occupations is discussed in further detail below.

*The National Occupation Classification (NOC) system is Canada’s national system for describing and categorizing all occupations within the country’s industries and sectors.

To accurately match your work experience to a relevant NOC entry, you must ensure that you have performed most of the main duties listed for that occupation (rather than simply matching job titles), and that you do not fall into one of the possible exceptions.

Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces (40042)

Main duties

Skilled workers in the role:

Allocate material, human, and financial resources to carry out military policies and programs, put administrative controls in place, and approve overall personnel planning.
Plan, organize, and command the activities of Canadian Armed Forces combat and strategic units within the Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Royal Canadian Navy, both in Canada and when deployed overseas during operations in conflict areas.
Plan, organize, and command units involved in non-military disaster relief, humanitarian, and peacekeeping operations at the national and international level.
Set organizational objectives in line with legislation and government policy; formulate or approve, and evaluate, programs and procedures, independently or in collaboration with senior government committees.
Coordinate the work of various military strategic units, applying appropriate levels of military force to specific tasks.
Develop and implement military procedures and policies tailored to each unit’s capabilities and performance.

The following job titles are excluded from this occupation classification:

Specialized members of the Canadian Armed Forces (42102);
Operations Members of the Canadian Armed Forces (43204); and
Primary combat members of the Canadian Armed Forces (44200).

For more information, visit the official NOC page.

Specialized members of the Canadian Armed Forces (42102)

Main duties

Skilled workers in the role:

Certify ammunition, explosive items, munitions, and non-munitions scrap to various levels of classification.
Inspect, test, diagnose faults, adjust, repair, recondition, and modify electrical, electromechanical, electronic, electro-optic, and mechanical equipment; optical instruments; and weapon and missile control systems.
Maintain and repair machine guns and unguided anti-tank weapons, grenade launchers, mortars, and launcher systems.
Test, inspect, and repair aircraft weapons systems.
Compile test logs, evaluation reports, and equipment maintenance records, and read and interpret electronic drawings.

The following job titles are excluded from this occupation classification:

Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces (40042)
Operations Members of the Canadian Armed Forces (43204)
Primary combat members of the Canadian Armed Forces (44200)

For more information, visit the official NOC page.

Operations Members of the Canadian Armed Forces (43204)

Main duties

Skilled workers in the role:

Analyze the performance of equipment and systems across all combat information equipment.
Maintain and operate engineering equipment, including weapons, vehicles, heavy equipment, and supplies.
Inspect motors while in operation, road-test motor vehicles, and test automotive systems and components using computerized diagnostic and other testing devices to diagnose and isolate faults.
Configure and operate intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems.
Oversee the construction of tools and devices that allow infantry soldiers to cross natural and man-made obstacles and breach enemy defenses.
Operate weapons- and missile-related equipment for defense.

The following job titles are excluded from this occupation classification:

Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces (40042)
Specialized members of the Canadian Armed Forces (42102)
Primary combat members of the Canadian Armed Forces (44200)

For more information, visit the official NOC page.

Job offer requirements

Eligibility for the Skilled military recruits category is contingent on having an eligible job offer with the Canadian Armed Forces, which must be

For continuous full-time work in Canada for at least three years;
In one of the three eligible occupations for this category (covered above); and
Made by the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group.

The Canadian Forces Recruiting Group has multiple centres across Canada, and interested candidates can contact them via email or telephone to inquire about open positions.

In addition, the group has an online help centre that candidates can consult for answers to frequently asked questions.

Education requirements

Candidates interested in qualifying for the Skilled military recruits category must also meet the education requirement.

To qualify, candidates need to have completed a two-year post-secondary credential of any kind (e.g., a college degree or bachelor’s degree), within Canada or abroad.

If a candidate completed their education abroad, they will need to have their degree assessed against the Canadian equivalent by obtaining an Education Credential Assessment (ECA). These documents are valid for five years from the date of issuance.

See your eligibility for all Express Entry streams and categories