How Indians can Join the Canadian Army? Check Eligibility, Permanent Residency Status Details

How Indians can Join the Canadian Army? Indians living in Canada are now eligible to join the Canadian Army. Several media houses have reported that this is primarily because the Canadian Armed Forces are struggling with low manpower.  Taking a cue from the ongoing war in Ukraine, the government is keen to expand its army. Hence, recently the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced that those who are living in the country for the last ten years are eligible to enroll themselves in this programme.

Additionally, a report published in September also highlighted that the army is facing an immense shortage of skilled people. Hence, the decision has been taken to gradually increase the number. The government has decided to add at least 5900 new members to CAF by this year’s end.

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Another prominent reason behind this move is the decreasing number of applications from the country’s permanent citizens. This has raised serious concerns regarding the security of the country. The government earlier resisted giving entry to people of different citizenship citing the fear of security lapse. However, these low numbers have compelled them to change the recruitment rules of CAF. 

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Speaking about the same, Christian Leuprecht, professor, at the Royal Military College of Canada shared that this concept is not new and is followed by countries like France. France uses military service as a pathway to citizenship. He welcomed this move by the government quoting the instability and threat to International peace. 

Canada Armed Force Old Recruitment Rule

The Canadian government has earlier allowed permanent residents to work with the armed forces under the Skilled Military Foreign Applicant (SMFA) entry program. This allowed only professionals like trained pilots, doctors, or lawyers. The reason this eventually led to zero training costs that would burden the country’s finances.

Canadian Armed Force Eligibility Criteria 

Refer to the following section to know about the eligibility criteria to join the Canadian Armed Forces.

Age Limit: The minimum age limit is 18 years for adults. Those who are aged 16 or more can take parents’ consent to apply for the Canadian Armed Force. 

Educational Qualification: The candidate should have qualified in class 10th or 12th from a recognized college. 

Citizenship: The candidate should be a permanent citizen of Canada or they should have spent at least ten years in the country.

Recently Canada released its latest Immigration levels plan for the upcoming 2023-2025 session. The country is now targeting to add about 5,00,000 new permanent residents by the end of 2025. This move is going to increase the prospect of suitable non-Canadian candidates willing to join the army. This shall also manipulate the current demographics of the country. 

Reports also suggest that one in five migrating to Canada were of Indian origin. Also, nearly one lakh Indians took up Canadian citizenship in the year 2021. These immigrants are usually of low age which makes them physically fit and ideal candidates for the Canadian Armed Forces.