As a NZ AME you can write the Canadian AME exams but you must first see a Transport Canada inspector and be accessed. In Canada we have 2 catergories M1 and M2 to write both entails about 12 exams. There is no straight crossover of licenses.
A LAME friend of mine did the NZ to Canadian transfer. A lot of your courses and ratings etc are transferable but they like to know how many hours of instruction and a break down of the course ie how many hours spent on the fuel system etc. You could save a lot of time by sorting that out in NZ before you start the process by contacting whoever trained you to verify the info. Sometimes the info is on the course certificate anyway. There are quite a few NZ guys who have worked in Canada. Good luck - most Kiwi's enjoy engineering in Canada.
On your next trip up here for the boarding season, bring your NZ licence, any course certs, a letter from your current employer/QA manager with a statement along the lines of "currently still carrying out duties of a LAME". Make sure you got all your basic AME school certs too.
You might need to provide an experience logbook, there is a downloadable example in the TC website some where. Or you can pick up some books in Canada at "Aviation World" in Vancouver or Toronto. Fill out the logbook just like at home for application for each category.
Walk into a local Transport Canada office and ask the girl at front desk for the forms to apply for a TC licence. Your choices are M1, M2, E and S.
M1 and M2 are self explanitary like home. E is the avionic category. S is a special Canadian sheet metal category. These guys here never believe me that the S category is a sub-part of our licence.
I'd suggest you apply at a major city. Just a guess, Vancouver. If this is where you apply,then this is where your file will be kept.(bigger country)
DO NOT EVER LET ANY TRANSPORT CANADA PERSON TAKE POSSESSION OF YOUR ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. THEY WILL LOOSE THEM, ITS A CANADIAN WAY OF LIFE. Only allow them to make photocopies, they will certify each page, not you.
Once you have filled out all parts of application, given copies of all documents, and paid the money! This is where the fustration begins.
The receptionist will be the person assessing your AME application. The Transport Canada inspector will never see your application until she has signed off on this. The receptionist has no AME experience and cannot understand the differences of your AME logbook. so double up everywhere you can for the same task that can be put into each different ATA chapter possible.
I expect you to have problems at the first stage, so when you get fustrated, make an appointment to speak with an inspector and advise in advance of your topic to be discussed. This is how you can get passed the receptionist at the front desk. This might high light any internal errors to them that have gone un-noticed up until then.(happens all the time)
Once the TC Inspector has done his assessment, you will be able to complete the required exams. I believe there are 5 in total now. They crossed over to a new system a few years back. Again.
You will get fustrated, you will recieve requests to prove all sorts of information to be correct. Work thru this and you will make it.
Yes there are Kiwi LAME's up here, and there are several flying too. Aviation here for LAME's is tight, so don't expect the big jobs straight up.
Be very wary of Cascade aerospace. Kelowna Flightcraft has a long history with importing and is the better option of the two. + they will pay you much better than Cascade. Flightcraft can also give you the option of working else where in Canada, within the company. Don't bother with Air Canada stay well away from that set up.
Try to enter the country with a work visa already in your hand. Yes you can get sponsored by the two mentioned above, but you won't be able to travel around and work for other companies. So by having your own work visa before you arrive, will give you the chance to travel around and see this place, instead of being stuck on restrictive shift patterns that don't allow time off to travel.
I am currently doing the conversion thing from a South African license and believe the guy who told you to get the time spent on various sections sorted. I can't and thus have to do a correspondence course just to prove that I have the BASIC syllabus stuff I already did at school nearly 20 years ago. This before they will even consider me for the TC exams.
As much as I understand the need for it, it is still a pain in the hole trying to get the brain functioning along the lines of a student again.
Just out of curiosity, what would a Canadian licensed guy need to do to get a NZ ticket? In SA it's fill out a form (naturally), pay a fee (of course) and pass Air Law, then Bingo!!
Hey Nick,,, its a bit of shagging around to get a Canadian License,,, i hold an Oz license & moved to Canada,,, I eventually sat the req 10 exams but only after a long & drawn out process... If you havent completed an apprenticeship you will need to do a corrospondance course,,, if you have they will assess your traing sylibus and you may have to carryout additional training ie:- (sign up for the corrospondance course) & do certain parts of it,,(Thomson Direct is the corrospondance school).. I would surgest get a job first & then have your employer start the ball rolling with Transport Canada.... it is also only 4 exams now... Make sure you take all trade school docs & sylibus... good luck...
I'm a Kiwi LAME working as an unlicenced mech in Canada. Tried to convert my licence but ran into a whole world of hassles with the receptionist at the local TC office. It all came down to me not being able to prove the exact hours of training in both practical and theory subjects, even though I have course certs that have date ranges. Your also stuffed if your course certs say that you completed a course rather than passed it. All this just to see if your 'worthy' to take the TC exams.
What Visa are you coming here under? If it's the working holiday one then being an unlicenced contractor could be a better option.
P.S. - Unstable load, all you will probably need to do is sit both the oral and written law exams to get your NZ licence and all your ratings will be transferable upon initial licence issue.
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NZ LAME to Canadian LAME conversion 
This before they will even consider me for the TC exams. 
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