new resident PAL question

migrant hunter

migrant hunter

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"there are no dumb questions, just dumb people!"
OK, so I move to Canada, and I do the PAL and RPAL courses asap. Do I need references? Should I get references from RO"s and commitee members of the clubs I"m in here in the UK before I move?
I think I can bring a shotgun and a couple of rifles with me, and hold them on a non-res firearm declaration for 3 months or something like that.By that time I should have my PAL, or be able to extend my firearm declaration.(or give them to someone to hold for me)
Basically, I"m wondering what I need to do my PAL/RPAL course(don"t want to challenge the course as I believe CFC can be awkward about it)
Anyone here brought firearms with them to Canada?
 
look on the cfc website

They have the application forms which will answer your first questions.

Someone on here has the whole book for the pal course. The RPAL is basicallythe same but is abut handguns(not a real big difference real)

bringing firearms in should be just red tape, dont know much about that. How is england for exporting????
 
I don't think there are any PAL/RPAL courses or exams offered outside of Canada. So you wouldn't have a lot of choice but to do the course/exam (or challenge) the exam here.

The course books are available in PDF form here in the legal section. Challenge or take the course, no difference to CFC.

3 months might not be enough time unless you are signed up for a course ahead of time. Which province will you move to? Here in Ontario, they are requiring as of this fall that the exams be mailed by the instructor, stamped by the CFO office, then returned to you, then you send in your application to CFC. Just more and more hassles.

Chose your references well. CFC have been contacting them lately so its best to have people you know are OK with guns and are shooters themselves.
 
ianwd challenged both his PAL and RPAL and he's from England (although got citizenship in 2000 through his dad). The CFC didn't give him any problems. He challenged because he used to shoot in cadets and reserves back home.
 
I hope to do the courses as soon after I arrive as possible! I"ll have a look at the course material on this site in the meantime.
I would be confident about challenging the course as I have been shooting a lot of different disciplines for years, but I have read on this site that CFC can be problematic if you have"nt actually taken the course. I"d rather just take the PAL and RPAL courses(PAL is most important at first anyway, as I"m a hunter first and a shooter second!)
When I get more of an idea on when I"m moving I might just contact CFC about bringing my guns with me, even if I have to have them stored over there for a while.
All input appreciated!
 
migrant hunter said:
"there are no dumb questions, just dumb people!"
OK, so I move to Canada, and I do the PAL and RPAL courses asap. Do I need references? Should I get references from RO"s and commitee members of the clubs I"m in here in the UK before I move?
Click to expand...

Get the references from the clubs to help with "facilitating" the club level safety courses.

migrant hunter said:
Basically, I"m wondering what I need to do my PAL/RPAL course(don"t want to challenge the course as I believe CFC can be awkward about it)
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The course centers around the ACTS/Prove acronym. As an experienced shooter the course would be more about learning the structure of the exam. Be sure to retain a copy of the police clearance from your immigration application or obtain a new one before you leave as this is useful to include with your application along with a copy of your FAC and Shotgun Cert.

I was lucky that when I moved to Canada I had family and friends who lived here who had known me for 3 years and could provide references for my for my PAL application. I don't know if supplying references from NI would work but it is a question you could ask the CFC.

I was here 6 months when I did my PAL/RPAL and had no problems.
 
Thanks, Tenexx!
That"s the kind of info I was looking for. I think I still have a copy of my police clearance cert.
I don"t think the references have to be Canadian, but I have relatives in NB, and AB(where I"m going). References from a couple of rifle/pistol clubs here could"nt hurt either.
There is no shotgun cert here, only the FAC(shotguns are firearms in NI!)
but I have held an FAC for 16 yrs and have DSC lvl 1 and 2, I don"t know if that"ll cut any ice with CFC!
I hope to be doing all this by the summer, but time will tell.
thanks again.
 
migrant hunter said:
There is no shotgun cert here, only the FAC(shotguns are firearms in NI!)
but I have held an FAC for 16 yrs and have DSC lvl 1 and 2, I don"t know if that"ll cut any ice with CFC!
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Any current documentation could be useful, i.e. proves that you were a responsible firearm owner in another jurisdiction.

I left Scotland to work in the middle east in 1991, I left my guns with one of the RFD's in my club but had to get rid of all my pistols in 1997 which is when I vowed I would not return to the UK if I could help it. It is great to be shooting again. Do one thing for me, though. When you get here, drop some money on one of the gun rights organisations here in Canada to help ensure that the crap we had to go through never happens here.

I don't know that I ever knew that you needed a FAC for smooth-bores in NI, was it always like that or just after 1997?

Best of luck, anyway.

BTW you should amend your sig to say that you built the DeLorean as well; but that was probably before your time ;-)
 
I applied for my PAL/RPAL one year after I got to Canada with no problem and no extra requirements (and I come from a country known for exporting drugs, not from friendly UK). As mentioned above, you need somebody that knows you for some years (not sure, but I guess he/she must not be a relative). No police clearance from my country of origin, they must know that the immigration process took care of all that and our background have already been checked in detail. That was less than three years ago.
 
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and you don't really need to take courses, if you have some experience w/guns you can challenge the test, just review the book. Actually, I just went to challenge the PAL, and after the test the instructor asked me if I want to challenge the RPAL, that he believes that I would not have any problem with it. If you are a typical immigrant, money and time will be scarce at the beginning.
 
Hi My wife and I emmigrated from the NW of england in March 2003 and I had my PAL & RPAL in December 2003. It only took that long 'cause I didn't think about getting a PAL 'til August 2003. Don't belieive the clap trap that Canada Customs gave me about the guns I owned in the UK, when they told me that "You can't bring those to Canada" (Spawny eyed gits!!!).

On your application you will need 2 Canadians that have known you for 2 years, that's all besides the usual signed and witnessed photos etc. Piece of cake, really. after the whole FAC thing in the UK.

Aside from the gun thing, get your a*s over here. It's a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I can tell you that I have sung the Canadian anthem more in the 5 yrs we've been here than i ever sang God Save The Queen. It really is a country to be proud of.

Just PM me if you need anything.
 
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blade-57 said:
Aside from the gun thing, get your a*s over here. It's a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I can tell you that I have sung the Canadian anthem more in the 5 yrs we've been here than i ever sang God Save The Queen. It really is a country to be proud of.
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My parents moved here from Newcastle when I was seven. I'm now in my early forties, I thank them several times a year for moving here and sticking with it. We are all better off in every way for being here. Don't worry about challenging the PAL/RPAL there's no issue with that, I had to take the test after not shooting for 10 years, passed no problem and have had no issues. So, get here, take the tests and we'll see you on the range with your pistol/AR15/8 inch shotgun and a great big grin. :D
 
I"m going to Lethbridge, but still have a lot to do first. I"m still open minded,
might just challenge the tests.
Firearms/shotguns here in NI are slightly different from mainland UK. There is no distinction between a firearm and a shotgun, smoothbores are firearms, unlike England,Scotland and Wales where a shotgun is classed as a shotgun!
We do still have handguns though!:) We escaped the ban because PPW"s(our version of CCW") were exempt, and a big target shooting culture has grown in the last 10 yrs. I have 3 hanguns(9mm/.22/.44) but I don"t intend to bring them. I would like to bring my K Hornet,.308 and my O/U 12 gauge.
I have hunted 3 seasons in Canada, and hope to get there in time for the 08 season. If I don"t make it I guess I"ll just have to go stalking stags in Scotland again.OH well....:D
Thanks again for all the input.
 
migrant hunter said:
I"m going to Lethbridge, but still have a lot to do first. I"m still open minded,
might just challenge the tests.
Firearms/shotguns here in NI are slightly different from mainland UK. There is no distinction between a firearm and a shotgun, smoothbores are firearms, unlike England,Scotland and Wales where a shotgun is classed as a shotgun!
We do still have handguns though!:) We escaped the ban because PPW"s(our version of CCW") were exempt, and a big target shooting culture has grown in the last 10 yrs. I have 3 hanguns(9mm/.22/.44) but I don"t intend to bring them. I would like to bring my K Hornet,.308 and my O/U 12 gauge.
I have hunted 3 seasons in Canada, and hope to get there in time for the 08 season. If I don"t make it I guess I"ll just have to go stalking stags in Scotland again.OH well....:D
Thanks again for all the input.
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as soemone in a very similar situation to you maybe i can help..
i did my pal a month after i arrived (nov 2007) from the UK. at the shooting edge in calgary. i challenged the tests. (i was a firearms officer in the police)

in my opinion if you cant challenge the tests you shouldnt be allowed a ball point pen, never mind firearms. it was V easy.. i really dont see the need to do the course unless you are a complete beginner, which you obviously are not.

read the CFSC manuals that can be downloaded from this forum (in the legalise section i think)

if you have common sense you cant fail. the challenge took less than 1 hour in total.. cost $100 for both restricted and non.. put it this way, as a shooting range its hardly in their interest to fail you is it?? any areas you are unsure of you can ask them prior to the tests.


i was in the same position as you with no canadian refs. so i used my parents who moved here a few years ago. there were no problems about me having just arrived. in fact it was never mentioned.. they do call your refs these days though, especially for a restricted pal 1st application..

i got my pal a little over a month after i applied..
 
RadioRoz said:
ianwd challenged both his PAL and RPAL and he's from England (although got citizenship in 2000 through his dad). The CFC didn't give him any problems. He challenged because he used to shoot in cadets and reserves back home.
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Actually there was a little hang up with the criminal record check although i
had provided a canadian one , they were insisting that i provided one from the
UK despite having been here for over 5 years . So i talked to the Alberta firearms officer and she fixed it right away , and CFC got off their asses and license issued.
So i suggest as a precautionary measure have a local criminal record check done where you are and bring a copy just in case .
CFC kept asking for (in their words) a letter of good conduct from every Jurisdiction i had lived in for the last 5 years which is what the canadian record check coverd . and they were hung up on it for a while .
 
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