NAV CANADA publishes three different waiting periods for people who are unsuccessful during its air traffic control selection process. The published rule is one year after the online assessment, two years after in-person cognitive testing, or three years after the assessment centre. These are dates when you may be eligible to reapply, not automatic offers of a resit, new vacancy or training place. See the current NAV CANADA selection page.
Reviewed November 7, 2026. Always follow your personal employer result message if it contains specific restrictions or instructions.
The official 1-, 2- and 3-year reapplication rules
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| Unsuccessful stage | Published eligibility | Date used by NAV CANADA |
|---|---|---|
| Online assessment | Eligible to reapply after one year | The online testing date |
| In-person cognitive test | Eligible to reapply after two years | The in-person testing date |
| Assessment centre | Eligible to reapply after three years | The assessment-centre date |
Those three rules appear on NAV CANADA’s English selection page and French selection page. A candidate who successfully completed an earlier test but later failed the in-person test should not substitute the one-year online rule for the published two-year in-person rule.
Do not calculate from the date you happen to open a result email. The official wording specifies the relevant test or assessment date. If you lack that date or your individual message says something different, contact NAV CANADA for clarification.
What eligibility to reapply does - and does not - mean
After the published waiting period, you may be eligible to submit a new application when the employer recruits. The rules do not promise:
- An automatically scheduled retest when the anniversary arrives.
- Entry into the next stage without repeating earlier assessments.
- A guaranteed open recruitment campaign or regional vacancy.
- A particular passing score, qualification or future training offer.
- An exception because you bought a private practice course.
NAV CANADA says passing any assessment does not guarantee the next invitation. Regional operational requirements and selection affect progression. Refer to assessment results and hiring process for the difference between a test outcome and an offer.
The 36-month application rule is separate
NAV CANADA’s Careers in Aviation page states that an Air Traffic Services application remains active for a total of 36 months before it expires. That is not a 36-month right to repeat any assessment, an automatic score-validity promise, or a substitute for the one-, two- and three-year failure waiting periods.
A candidate can reach a reapplication eligibility anniversary without any open vacancy. Equally, the 36-month general application duration does not erase an unsuccessful-stage restriction. Follow official Workday listings and the candidate-specific message.
Two original date examples with explanations
These are invented arithmetic examples, not actual NAV CANADA candidate results, exceptions or decisions. The examples assume the published rule remains in force and the corresponding date is confirmed.
Example 1 - Online assessment, one year
A hypothetical candidate was unsuccessful at their online assessment on April 12, 2025. What is the corresponding one-year anniversary?
Show the date calculation
April 12, 2026 is the anniversary one calendar year after April 12, 2025. That date is only an illustrative eligibility milestone, not proof that a NAV CANADA vacancy is open or a new assessment is booked.
Example 2 - In-person assessment, two years
A hypothetical candidate was unsuccessful at in-person cognitive testing on June 5, 2025. What is the corresponding two-year anniversary?
Show the second date calculation
June 5, 2027 is two calendar years after June 5, 2025. The previous online-test date, if any, does not replace the unsuccessful in-person testing date.
For an assessment-centre failure, the same reasoning uses three years from the assessment-centre date. Verify the precise date and eligibility interpretation with NAV CANADA, especially if your personal instructions include additional conditions.
What to check before applying again
Keep the original assessment date and employer result message, verify the stage where your candidature stopped, review the matching published rule, then inspect the current Workday vacancies. An old web snippet or general careers article is not proof that applications are presently open.
You can use independent practice material while waiting, including original NAV CANADA aptitude exercises and the free-first NAV CANADA guide. These are not official assessments and do not affect the employer’s waiting periods. No paid product is required by this guide.
Does EUROCONTROL FEAST policy apply?
No automatic transfer of rules is justified. EUROCONTROL FEAST and other ANSP selection processes may have different procedures. NAV CANADA’s own published eligibility wording governs this guide. Do not assume a private FEAST-style simulator, its score or another employer’s retest schedule applies to your NAV CANADA candidature.
Official sources checked and commercial neutrality
- NAV CANADA - Air Traffic Control Selection and Training: official stage-specific 1/2/3-year reapplication conditions and their assessment-date anchors.
- NAV CANADA - French selection guide: confirms the same three waiting periods.
- NAV CANADA - Careers in Aviation: 36-month active application period, Workday and employer operational scheduling.
Editorial independence: This page has no direct merchant links. NAV CANADA alone controls official candidate eligibility, assessment invitations and applications.