Hello All,

Sorry if this post is duplicated however we are both very new to this and looking at the immigration options to Canada.

I am a serving police officer of 7+ Years and my wife of 4 years but has just left to become a self employed driving instructor. I only hold Level 3 and GCSEs however my wife has a Diploma. We would both be applying for vacancies as LEOs.

We've seen Edmonton and Calgary are open to international applicants, we would love to end up in Toronto, does anyone know if this is an option that is open or if any other departments are accepting international applicants?

Has anyone got any contacts they'd advise reaching out to or valuable websites to look at?

Many thanks

Phil

This type of question or similar has been asked on numerous occasions and there is no easy answer. Can it be done then yes it can but it won’t be easy and due to how you are asking multiple questions then this makes it become more difficult.

It is up to you but some of the questions I would be asking are without getting to personal are why do want to leave the UK? We can argue as to if being a PO in the UK is a good career and your wife decided to leave the service but if you think that Policing over here will be so much better than in the UK then you might be in for a shock.

At the moment Toronto Police Services are only hiring Canadian citizens or permanent residents so that is the 1st stumbling block. Yes other forces have on occasions recruited from overseas and I have seen several post on here who did make it however compared to the times it has been asked and how many went for it and actually were successful is not that many.

Unlike the UK Canada is somewhat different to recruiting. Correct me if I’m am wrong and being an ex copper from the UK is that you applied to the force (sorry service) you wanted to join. There was a national set of standards you had to meet. Apart from the Met if still the case all regular PO’s receive the same pay once they get on the pay scale at their appropriate level and then max out after X years of service.

Canada has a National Police Force and that is the RCMP. The UK has 45 territorial services and 3 special services whereas just the Province of Ontario has probably around 60 Police Organizations and they have different recruiting methods and rates of pay.

https://www.oacp.ca/en/about-us/onta...nizations.aspx

Why Toronto? Also there is the Greater Toronto Area which has numerous Police Forces that are totally different to the Toronto Police Service.

Fun fact the main airport which serves Toronto is in the Greater Toronto Area but is policed by the Peel Regional Police and a federal RCMP detachment.

Yes my post might look or seem a bit negative but I am just giving you an overview. Hopefully somebody with more recent experience will chime in about their experiences.

Unless you strike it lucky then (International Recruiting and pathway to PR status) then you would need to go down a route of which there are many to 1st obtain and see if you qualify to attain PR status then once settled in Canada then start applying for jobs within the Police.

Is the grass any greener then I would say it’s just a different shade of green and if you lived on the Canadian Prairies it’s only green for about 6 - 7 months of the year as the snow tends to cover it up.

Good luck

Thanks for the in depth and detailed reply on all of this!

Essentially I enjoy policing the UK, it has its moments but it's one of the best jobs in my eyes but we are looking at what's best for our families future and where we would like our child to grow up with the best of opportunities whilst living out our own dreams as you only live once!

Toronto has come up in conversation numerous times and it's somewhere we both like, theres always room to look at absolutely anywhere but we are trying to get just a feel of whats possibly available and if it is do-able.

I have obviously seen Alberta state is opening up to there own international programme including Edmonton and Calgary but just interested if anywhere else was advertising
these programmes or if anyone has any hints and tips! I could be there all month looking at individual departments.

Our biggest query if we would be eligible for express entry! Given my slight lack of a higher level of education but experience and age still on my side (32). Trying to convert Level 3 college courses which aren't officially A levels but hold the UK equivalent to Canadian qualifications seems to be stuck between high school level and a college certificate (the certificate would get me enough points!)

Ill take any positivity or negativity, we would be moving to live rather than moving to work essentially so the job is just something we enjoy doing!

Thanks again!

How many CRS points would you have? In all honesty, I’d be surprised if you had enough even with a college certificate. So your only option may be employer sponsorship, which would mean looking at AB and perhaps moving to Toronto a few years down the line if you still wanted to.

Have you considered the west of Canada in the Vancouver area?
One city forming its own police force is Surrey where they are taking over from the RCMP.
Have a look at https://www.surreypolice.ca/civilian-careers Police
HTH.

Now I am going to take a WAG (wild assed guess) but the vast majority and I am talking in the 90% plus that every Police Force/Service in Canada are only hiring Canadian Citizens or PR's. Unless you are actually living in Canada as a PR or CC then being recruited from overseas is negligible. Those that do will probably have a clause that they will accept you once you have retained this status. This will mean obtaining this status via one of the routes available.

A quick wander through the SPS website indicates that your WAG is correct. Recruitment as an experienced officer requires just that - experience and in Canada too, new recruits must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents. A while ago the SPS was not up to strength so an enquiry might be worth a try.
As an aside, I know someone who left Toronto in early May, trees still bare etc., arriving in Vancouver was like a different country, leaves on trees, spring blossom etc. But it's a long flight to the UK!

Alberta specifically initiated a policy to recruit international candidates, they are pretty unique in that regard. I don’t believe anywhere else in Canada has done it as explicitly as Alberta.

(Also they’re a province not a state btw)