Your Pilot Career Starts Here

Under Canadian immigration regulations, international students may study in Canada without a study permit if their course or program can be completed within six months, is not part of a longer program, and can be completed within their authorized period of stay in Canada.

For example, students planning to complete our Private Pilot Licence (PPL) training within six months may be eligible to enter Canada as visitors and complete their training without obtaining a study permit.

Depending on your citizenship and travel documents, you may need a Canadian Visitor Visa (Temporary Resident Visa) or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to enter Canada. Some travellers, including U.S. citizens, are exempt from both requirements. All visitors must meet Canada’s entry requirements.

Long-Term Flight Training (More Than 6 Months)

If you plan to enroll in a flight training program lasting more than six months, such as our 24-month Professional Commercial Pilot Program, you will generally need to obtain a Canadian Study Permit before beginning your studies.

To apply, international students must obtain a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from Professional Flight Centre and a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL).

Most applicants can submit their study permit applications online through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Processing times vary depending on the applicant’s country of residence, individual circumstances, and application completeness.

Professional Flight Centre provides personalized admissions guidance, including assistance with the LOA and applicable PAL process, to help international students prepare for their study permit applications.

Planning to Continue Beyond Six Months?

If you intend to begin with PPL training and subsequently continue into CPL or other professional flight training, we recommend considering a study permit from the beginning. This can help avoid interruptions between training stages.

For official information, please visit:

IRCC – Find Out if You Need a Study Permit

IRCC – How to Apply for a Study Permit

A Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) is a document issued by the provincial government and required for most international students applying for a Canadian study permit.

Each year, the provincial government allocates a limited number of PALs to eligible educational institutions, typically at the beginning of the calendar year. PALs are generally valid until December 31 of the year in which they are issued, and students must submit their study permit applications to IRCC before their PALs expire. Study permit approval is not required before the PAL expiry date.

Professional Flight Centre assists eligible admitted students with the PAL application process, subject to the school’s available allocation and applicable government requirements. A PAL issued in one calendar year may also be used for a program starting in the following year, provided the study permit application is submitted before the PAL expires.

For a Canadian study permit, IRCC requires students to show enough funds for their first-year tuition, living expenses, and travel costs.

For programs longer than one year, students do not need to have the full program cost in cash at the time of application. They just need to explain how the remaining period will be funded.

We recommend showing finances in two parts:

• Current funds: savings, investments, education loans, or tuition already paid.
• Future funds: parents’ or sponsors’ ongoing income, business income, investments, or other regular financial support.

For our Professional Commercial Pilot Program, the recommended overall financial capacity is CAD $120,000, including both tuition and living expenses for the full 24-month program duration. This does not mean that CAD $120,000 must be sitting in one bank account at the time of application. The overall amount can be demonstrated through a combination of currently available funds and future available funds.

There is no need to pay the full training cost upfront. At Professional Flight Centre, flight training operates on a pay-as-you-go basis, meaning students are charged after each training session based on actual flight time, measured from engine start to engine stop.

For international students requiring a study permit, separate tuition pre-deposit requirement may apply due to limited Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) allocations. These requirements will be communicated during the international admissions process.

Yes! International Student can work up to 24 hours per week while studying full-time. Please visit Work off campus as an international student page from IRCC for details.

International students who complete CPL or Instructor rating in Canada are eligible for Post-Graduation Work Permit upon program completion. To be eligible for a Post-graduation work permit (PGWP), you need to meet one of these requirements:

• You’ve completed a flight training course at a Canadian training centre and now have a Canadian commercial pilot’s license, or
• You have or you are in the process of getting an instructor’s rating, and you have a job offer to work as a flight instructor at a flight training centre.

More information can be obtained from Government of Canada website at here.

If your study permit application is refused by IRCC, please contact our Admissions Office and provide a copy of your official refusal letter. Our team will review the reasons for refusal and help you assess whether submitting a new application would be appropriate.

If you decide not to reapply, any prepaid tuition fees will be refunded, less a CAD $215 administration fee, in accordance with our refund policy.

We provide guides to nearby accommodation, transportation and settling into life in British Columbia. Please visit Student Accommodation page for detailed information on housing/accommodation.

You will need to first obtain a new study permit by applying to extend your current one. For detailed steps, please visit Changing your school or program.

• Programs of 6 months or less: You do not need a study permit. Under IRCC’s temporary public policy, valid work permit holders can study full-time or part-time for up to 6 months (or until your work permit expires, whichever comes first) without a separate study permit. Check the full details via the IRCC Worker Study Exemption Guide.