NATO SECRET LEVEL JOBS

[thomas465]

Hi,

I am a new permanent resident of Canada. I have been here for the last 2 years on a temporary work permit. I am specialized in laser physics and most of my jobs are in the defense sector. I had received interview calls from a defense company when I was a temporary resident but was not successful in securing the job I want. Most of the defense contractors like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, L3-Harris, Honeywell have offices in Canada. Do they hire PR holders? I am just wondering if I am wasting my time by attending those interviews.

 

[Chevy23]

Hi,

I am a new permanent resident of Canada. I have been here for the last 2 years on a temporary work permit. I am specialized in laser physics and most of my jobs are in the defense sector. I had received interview calls from a defense company when I was a temporary resident but was not successful in securing the job I want. Most of the defense contractors like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, L3-Harris, Honeywell have offices in Canada. Do they hire PR holders? I am just wondering if I am wasting my time by attending those interviews.

Hi there,

I am a PR of Canada, currently applying for citizenship. I used to work in defense in the UK and held secret level clearance.
These companies do hire PR holders but the problem is the security clearance. I was told by one company that I have to reside in Canada for 5 years to gain reliability clearance and 10 years for secret clearance.

However, looking online I do not see any requirement for years residing in Canada.
Perhaps read through this link and see what you make of it.

https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/esc-src/personnel/information-eng.html#a4.1

It could be that the out-of-country verification is a lengthy process that most employers are not willing to wait for.

 

[thomas465]

Hi there,

I am a PR of Canada, currently applying for citizenship. I used to work in defense in the UK and held secret level clearance.
These companies do hire PR holders but the problem is the security clearance. I was told by one company that I have to reside in Canada for 5 years to gain reliability clearance and 10 years for secret clearance.

However, looking online I do not see any requirement for years residing in Canada.
Perhaps read through this link and see what you make of it.

https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/esc-src/personnel/information-eng.html#a4.1

It could be that the out-of-country verification is a lengthy process that most employers are not willing to wait for.

Hi Chevy23,

As per the link you have suggested, one could get a job with PR for NATO secret level jobs. I do not see any discussion about '5 yr' requirements. I guess that when they have options, they choose one with fewer complications. I was a temporary resident at that time, then it just added more complications I believe.

My interview went well. I had a good feeling too but the management was not ready to give feedback about the decision. They mentioned to me that the last time they tried to recruit someone from the UK (who used to work for BAE I assume), it took a while. I guess that was a clear answer.

 

[Chevy23]

Hi Chevy23,

As per the link you have suggested, one could get a job with PR for NATO secret level jobs. I do not see any discussion about '5 yr' requirements. I guess that when they have options, they choose one with fewer complications. I was a temporary resident at that time, then it just added more complications I believe.

My interview went well. I had a good feeling too but the management was not ready to give feedback about the decision. They mentioned to me that the last time they tried to recruit someone from the UK (who used to work for BAE I assume), it took a while. I guess that was a clear answer.

Yes I agree you can be a PR, but being out of the country would appear to add complications to gaining clearance.

From my experience of rejected defense company interviews, I would say that they are not willing to wait for an out-of-country verification.
Not being within Canada for the minimum 5 years adds complications that companies are not willing to go through.

It became clear to me when one company told me that they would not even go through the process if I was not in the country for the last 5 years.

 

[thomas465]

I heard that the fluency in multiple languages (that are useful for the employer) and 'skills in demand' help the situation sometimes. Do you have any feedback?

 

[OldBoy31]

From what I know all government and national level jobs connected to national security forces like army, navy, military etc. need level 5 clearance.
PR holders of Canada or US are not eligible for level 5 clearance. In-fact you need to be citizen of US or Canada for 10 to 15 years to be eligible to apply for this clearance.

Source: Self, I work for a private company that makes defense goods. I applied for an military job 2 months ago and they gave me that explanation.

 

[thomas465]

From what I know all government and national level jobs connected to national security forces like army, navy, military etc. need level 5 clearance.
PR holders of Canada or US are not eligible for level 5 clearance. In-fact you need to be citizen of US or Canada for 10 to 15 years to be eligible to apply for this clearance.

Source: Self, I work for a private company that makes defense goods. I applied for an military job 2 months ago and they gave me that explanation.

Hi,
Thanks. OP is interested in defense contractor jobs. Government jobs are primarily for citizens due to security reasons and that makes sense. The contractors like Boeing, Lockheed Martin have offices in Canada. That means these jobs are open to non-US citizens. Therefore the question was if PR holders could get it or not.

 

[Chevy23]

Yes government/military jobs are a completely different beast altogether...

You can absolutely gain a job in defense with PR. The issue is the security clearance.

I truly believe, from what I have personally experienced, that being out of the country within the last 5 years (reliability level clearance) or 10 years (secret level clearance) is a BIG hurdle for companies to go through.

Companies are not willing to wait for out-of-country verification. Its obviously a lengthy process for them.

As for skills, I have noticed that English, French and Spanish are increasingly desired (depending on your specific role within defense) and having skills in demand with 10 plus years of experience in that field certainly helps... but then it brings us back to the security clearance issue.

If you have not been in the country for the years required for your level of clearance, then an out-of-country verification is needed.
I believe companies want to avoid the out-of-country verification.

I have worked for MBDA, BAE, Saab just to name a few (although none in Canada)

I'm not saying give up, but without the connections and experience within Canada, it is difficult to land a job in defense.
Do not focus on one industry, I was able to transfer into the mining and energy sectors. Perhaps in a couple of years time I will try again with defense

 

[zardoz]

In the UK it's 5 years continuous residency for SC (secret) and 10 years for DV (top secret).
I would expect it to be the same in Canada, in order to meet the "Five Eyes" compatability criteria.