Originally Posted by
Sunfish
I suggest that an english test should be administered by an appropriate Embassy or Consular official before a visa is provided.
I believe it will become mandatory in March 2008.
AEROPLANE and helicopter pilots and air traffic controllers will be assessed for English proficiency under new rules developed
by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ICAO representative Paul Lamy said native English speakers and highly-proficient non-native speakers were considered to be at the expert level and could be
assessed during a normal flight test. The test would ensure they spoke English using a dialect or accent understandable to the aeronautical community and would only need to be taken once.
Other people will have to be formally tested and will need to qualify to an “operational level” to be authorised to fly in airspace in which English is used. Their knowledge of English will need to be retested regularly. The rule will apply to all ICAO's 188 member states and is contained in an amendment to the organization's “International Standards and Recommended Practices for Personnel Licensing”. The new rule will become a Recommended Practice on 28 November 2003 and an International Standard on 5 March 2008.
http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2003/mar/56-61.pdf