Canada job guide
Pilot in Canada: your Express Entry path, step by step
Picture yourself flying across Canada's skies, from busy airports to remote northern communities, with a new home for your family. Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors (NOC 72600, TEER 2) are on IRCC's 2026 transport list: 12 months of this work in the last 3 years, in Canada or abroad, puts you in the transport draws as well as the regular rounds. To fly commercially you need a Canadian licence from Transport Canada, and your training may count if your licence is from an ICAO member country.
At a glance
- Occupation
- Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors · NOC 72600 · TEER 2
- Express Entry group
- Transport
- Latest transport round
- August 7, 2026, cut-off 470
- Median wage in Canada
- $52.00 an hour Job Bank, wages updated November 19, 2025
Your way into the Express Entry pool
Every invitation needs a profile in the Express Entry pool. Pilots qualify through:
- Federal Skilled Worker. Experience must be in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job; this one is TEER 2.
- Canadian Experience Class. For skilled work experience already gained in Canada.
The Federal Skilled Trades program does not cover pilots: it excludes NOC sub-major group 726, which is where pilots sit.
The transport draws
Transport draws rank only people with recent experience in one of the four listed transport jobs, and they have been smaller than most. The panel above shows the latest one. You need at least 12 months of full-time work (or the same part-time) as a pilot or flying instructor within the last 3 years. The months do not have to be in a row, and the work must match the NOC description of the job.
Getting a Canadian licence
The NOC says a commercial pilot licence or an airline transport pilot licence is required, and flight engineers need a Transport Canada flight engineer licence. Transport Canada gives foreign pilots two routes:
- A Canadian licence. Your training may be credited if your licence is from an ICAO member country. For a commercial licence you need a Category 1 medical, proof of your experience, the CPAER written exam and a flight test; for an airline transport licence, the SAMRA, SARON and INRAT written exams and a flight test. Holders of a United States FAA certificate may be able to convert it.
- A Foreign Licence Validation Certificate, for flying in Canada for a short time. For more than a year, Transport Canada recommends getting a Canadian licence.
What pilots earn
The panel above shows Job Bank's median hourly wage for pilots across Canada, with pay by province and region on Job Bank.
What to do next
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use my foreign pilot licence in Canada?
For a short stay, through a Foreign Licence Validation Certificate. To live and fly here you need a Canadian licence, and training from an ICAO member country may be credited towards it.
- Can pilots use the Federal Skilled Trades program?
No. It excludes the NOC group that pilots belong to. Use Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class.
- Does flying experience abroad count for the transport draws?
Yes. The transport category counts experience in Canada or abroad, as long as you have 12 months in the last 3 years.
Last updated October 21, 2026