What Foreign Armies Can We Join?

[casing]

I don‘t recall exactly where I read this, but it was fairly recently. Seems that as a result of manpower shortage, the Spanish Legion is once again taking foreigners. Only from Spanish-speaking nations and supposedly said applicant must have a parent of Spanish citizenship. I‘m certain about how accurate this information is. And they also accept female applicants.

Also, it is now the Spanish Legion as opposed to the Spanish Foreign Legion. No point in calling something "Foreign" when it really isn‘t anymore.

 

[chk2fung]

As an aside, I heard somewhere that if you‘re an aboriginal from Canada, you can join the US military. Something about a duel citizenship thing. I remember reading in it during the war in iraq. However some Canadian families were concerned about there sons fighting a war they didn‘t believe in. I could be wrong. However if you are an aboriginal then you may be able to skip that citizenship issue.

 

[D-n-A]

chk2f, you are correct, if your a regustured indian in Canada, you can join the US Military, I heard that a lot of the natives join the US Marines

 

[smoky]

i dont know for the U.S my grandparents are american and my mother is but she gave her U.S up for canadian long story i applied to get my U.S
citizen under my grandparents blah blah so i gave up right there i find it amazing its tougher for a canadian to get in than some guy swimming over and touching the ,and ....

 

[dimmer]

hey in order to join the french legion you have to have had at least 5 yrs in the millitary already and cant be maried or over 40 there recruit process is very rirorous the have there own web site i got it from a link on the ppcli site.

 

[DogOfWar]

thats not true you dont need 5 years of previous military experience. the over 40 thing is true. Married guys can enrol but they are enrolled as "single" and treated as such. The process is rigorous.....

 

[DogOfWar]

http://www.info-france-usa.org/atoz/legion/enlist.asp

right from the embassy homeboy.

 

[Danjanou]

Guys do a search elsewhere on the site. We did the whole myths and truths of the Legion thing a few months back.

 

[md200]

Here is another site about the FFL.......

www.foreignlegionlife.com

Pretty interesting stuff

 

[mjr payne]

does anyone have any links for the british or australian foreign legion if there is one i looked but couldnt find anything but the french one

 

[1feral1]

No such thing as an Aussie FL. Try www.army.gov.au for info.

Cheer,

Wes

 

[mjr payne]

thanks well does the british have a foreign legion or do they allow foreigners to join there army?

 

[D-n-A]

if your a canadian citisen, or a citesen of any commonwealth country, you can join the British Military

 

[uzi]

does anybody have an idea  that countries accept canadians serve in their army? I mean friendly countries with Canada. 

 

[orange.paint]

Wrong place....

 

[uzi]

if your a canadian citisen, or a citesen of any commonwealth country, you can join the British Military

I checked today. they do take people from fiji,NZ,Canada,Aus..............but you have to be UK's resident, and have lived there for 5 years.

 

[CougarKing]

I checked today. they do take people from fiji,NZ,Canada,Aus..............but you have to be UK's resident, and have lived there for 5 years.

Uzi

Who did you check with specifically or where did you look ? What you said is true if you just look up the UK Army website,  you probably saw these links:

http://www.armyjobs.mod.uk/RegularArmy/Requirements/Nationality/Soldier/

https://www.armyjobs.mod.uk/RegularArmy/Requirements/JoiningFromOverseas/Officer/

...but if you look up the Royal Navy website or the attached Royal Marines links, it just says you have to be a "citizen of an independent Commonwealth country"(like Canada) who has resided in the UK for a least "3 years" , as it says in this link:

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server.php?show=nav.4249

Eligibility
Nationality

British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens may join the Royal Navy or Royal Marines. However, certain career paths are only available to British citizens. See the link below for details.

Nationality Requirements for Career Options

Note:

A waiver of the above requirements may be granted by the Secretary of State for Defence for candidates who are British citizens at the time of application regardless of place of birth or former nationality.
In exceptional circumstances a waiver of these requirements may be granted by the Secretary of State for Defence to persons who are Commonwealth citizens or citizens of the Irish Republic at the time of their application regardless of place of birth or former nationality. Any person who seeks such a dispensation will have their case considered on its individual merits.
Only candidates holding British Nationality are eligible for the Submarine Service. No nationality waivers will be considered.

In addition, whether or not you are of UK origin, you should (normally) have resided in the UK for a minimum of three years immediately prior to making an application. In certain circumstances, particularly when an applicant is of UK origin, or the country of residence is one where security checks can be carried out, a shorter period of residence may be accepted.

Apparently these Royal Navy rules don't apply to the Royal Marines, as the ff. link shows:

http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.2977

Nationality and Residence Requirements

To be eligible for entry into the Naval Service to which the RMR (Royal Marine Reserve) belongs:

(a) At all times since birth have been a British or Commonwealth citizen or a Republic of Ireland national.
(b) The candidate must have been born in the UK, or a country or territory which is (or was then) within the Commonwealth or a Republic of Ireland.
(c) A waiver of the above requirements may be granted by the Secretary of State for Defence for candidates who are British citizens at the time of application regardless of place of birth or former nationality.
(d) In exceptional circumstances a waiver of the above requirements may be granted by the Secretary of State for Defence to persons who are Commonwealth citizens or a Republic of Ireland national at the time of their application regardless of place of birth or former nationality. Any person who seeks such dispensation will have their case considered on its individual merits.
In addition, whether or not you are of UK origin, you should normally have resided in the UK for a minimum of 5 years immediately prior to making an application. In certain circumstances, particularly when an applicant is of UK origin or the country of residence is one where security checks can be carried out, a shorter period of residence maybe accepted. If you are not a British citizen, you will be required to produce either a United Kingdom and Colonies passport, stamped with the unrestricted right to take up employment in the UK, or a Certificate of Entitlement certifying that you have this right.

I hope to hear the professionals' input on this, but probably the best thing to do (in your case, Uzi) is to make a long-distance phone call to confirm this, since websites aren't frequently updated even if these are UK MoD websites. Thanks in advance.

 

[d-fi]

The New Zealand Defence Force takes people from commonwealth countries, but it's the usual story of passing security clearances and becoming a New Zealand resident, i believe they do help you out with that.  You'll also have to get citizenship eventually but it's not like you can't have 2 citizenships.

 

[Towards_the_gap]

Just to clarify one minor point. There is no 'British Foreign Legion'. If you join the British Army/Royal Navy/RAF as a commonwealth citizen, you are enlisted on the same contract as the native brits, at the same rate of pay, and in the same unit. For an example, in my squadron at the moment there are: Nepalese (not a gurkha, from hong kong), St Lucian, Jamaican, South African, Zimbabwean, Ghanian, Ugandan, Canadian (me) and Kiwi.

When I joined the 5 year residency thing was mentioned, as it is now, on the website, but in reality, I arrived in London in Feb, went to the careers office after checking into a hostel, and 2 months later was on the train to basic training. The only proviso is that any citizenship/immigration needs are to be dealt with solely by yourself, for example, if I were to serve the full 22 year career, at the end of it, if I had not done anything about it, I would have 28 days following my discharge to leave the country, with no inherent right to stay. It normally takes 5 years residency to qualify for citizenship, and luckily time served out of the country but whilst in the forces does count.

 

[rz350]

chk2f, you are correct, if your a regustured indian in Canada, you can join the US Military, I heard that a lot of the natives join the US Marines

Does that apply to USAF as well? And to officer? Or just NCM?