New Recruits

The aims of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets are to develop in youth the attributes of good citizenship and leadership, to promote physical fitness, and to stimulate the interest of youth in the air element of the Canadian Forces. All this achieved through a challenging, yet disciplined environment.

Air Cadets are not members of the Canadian Forces. However, the Canadian Cadet Movement is sponsored by the Department of National Defense in partnership with the Air Cadet League of Canada.

Read below on how to join the Royal Canadian Air Cadets

Joining Instructions

To be eligible for the Air Cadet program, new registrants must be:

have already turned 12 years old by time of registration, and have not turned 19;
be a legal resident of Canada; and
Note: A legal resident of Canada is a Canadian citizen, a landed immigrant, or, the dependant of a person who is lawfully resident in Canada on a temporary basis for the purpose of education or employment.
provide proof of provincial health insurance coverage or equivalent.

Begin Now

Registration

New Recruit Registration Information

Information Session
There will be an in-person information and orientation session for parents/guardians on September 12th, 1:00pm at the Poppy Residences (5291 Grimmer St, Burnaby, BC V5H 0B3).

Location and Date
New recruits, along with one parent/guardian, are to attend registration on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at Marlborough Elementary School (6060 Marlborough Avenue, Burnaby BC, V5H 3L7).

To avoid congestion, we have dedicated time slots for you to register, corresponding to the last name of the new recruit. Please arrive within your designated time window.
* Surname starting with A-Le: 1830hrs
* Surname starting with Lf-Z: 1930hrs

Required Documents
Please ensure that you bring all of the following documents with you:
1. Proof of legal residency in Canada, which is one of either
1. Canadian Passport;
2. Birth Certificate;
3. Residency Card; or
4. Visa
2. Proof of health insurance. This can be a valid BC Services Card or private health insurance.
3. Squadron Sponsoring Committee forms. Complete the steps as instructed here.

Online Registration Tool
Once the squadron staff complete a preliminary review of your application, you will receive an email titled “Registration Form” with a PDF attachment. Have this email ready if requested by staff. You do not need to print the application form.

Please note that any cadets who turn 12 after September 22 will not be permitted to register and can either register with another squadron using the Online Registration Tool or are invited to re-register the following year.

To be eligible to join cadets, the applicant must:
* have already turned 12 years old by time of registration, and have not turned 19;
* be a legal resident of Canada; and
Note: A legal resident of Canada is a Canadian citizen, a landed immigrant, or, the dependant of a person who is lawfully resident in Canada on a temporary basis for the purpose of education or employment.
* provide proof of provincial health insurance coverage or equivalent.

Please understand that there are limited capacity for accepting new cadets per each time period and that we reserve the right to turn away new registration once capacity is full.

Questions?
Please email 841air@cadets.gc.ca