I'm interested in joining the Canadian Air Force as an Officer. I've not got any military background, and hold a communications degree obtained here in the UK.

I'd have landed immigrant status in Canada (PR - moving in October hopefully), but the Forces recruitment website says you need to be a citizen. Is this ever waivered?

I know that the Air Reserves require citizenship, but regularly waiver this if you can prove PR status, and hold the required qualifications to be of good use to them.

Does this rule every apply to the regular force? If not, what is the maximumn age of application for Officer training? I'm 22 now, and would need to wait 3 years of citizen status, so could see myself being 25,26,27 when a citizen.

Cheers.

All federal govt jobs require citizenship. You have no choice but to wait the 3 years.

Canada does not have an air force as such. There is only one service, the Canadian Forces, with a land, sea and air branch. It is unlikely any citizenship requirement would be wavered if you have no military experience. The only chance of an exception would be coming in as an officer from another service overseas.

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

How to Join

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How to Apply, 20 March 2007 (PDF Version, 32.00 KB)
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The Canadian Forces offer unskilled and skilled jobs open to both men and women. Our selection procedures attempt to ensure that those who are enrolled are suited for both the military and the occupation to which they are assigned.

Summary of the steps to join the Canadian Forces:

Make sure that you meet the basic eligibility requirements
Apply online, in person or by mail
If pre-selected, you will be submitted to the electronic Canadian Forces Aptitude Test
You will be submitted to a thorough medical examination
An Enhanced Reliability Check will be conducted
You will be interviewed by a career counsellor
If a selection offer is made and accepted, there will be an enrolment ceremony to welcome you in the military family.
Basic Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for consideration for the Canadian Forces, you must meet the following minimal conditions:

be a Canadian citizen;BUT....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 school diploma or equivalent.

How to Apply

The easiest way to join the Canadian Forces is to apply online. If you are unable to or would rather not apply online, you have 2 alternatives.

The first is to apply in person at your local recruiting centre. You will be provided with the various forms to be filled out and the list of required supporting documents. For the location of the recruiting centres and Reserve units, consult the www.forces.ca site or call our toll-free number 1 800 856-8488.

The second alternative is to apply by mail. You will need to complete and submit the following forms:

CF Application Form
Personnel Screening, Consent and Authorization Form
References for Applicant Form
You will also need to provide the following documents:

Birth certificate (and those of your family members, if applicable)
Citizenship card (if applicable)
Original transcript for your level of education (university, college, high school)
Proof of trades or qualifications (if applicable)

You might as well go for it, in circumstances such as this, British is the next best thing to Canadian, so it's worth a go....