Thank you for your complete reply shunter, before being to Canada I was in France (a JAR regulated land) and It wasn't possible to get my CPL over there because of my color deficiency. So I'm surprised to hear that you can actually pass a JAA-CPL without the night rating (may I ask what country you're in?). I had a friend also color deficient who passed his CFI as a PPL, and he was required to either satisfy a 80% PPL for FI test score or a CPL test. If he passed the CPL test he was required to sign a waiver saying that under any mean he would continue on a CPL formation.
When I arrived in France from Africa (where I started flying and where money is the way to pass a medical with no tests) I was given a class 2 with no restrictions, 2 years later I was given a night flying prohibition. When I asked the doctor why I didn't have that restriction on the first exam, he answered me that he hadn't given me the restriction 2 years before as it was then banned for "color-blinded" people to fly even by day. Later on while in Costa Rica I passed an FAA class 2 and I was not given any restrictions as I could name the colors on the board (red, green, white and blue).
Here in Canada once the Ishihara tables failed I passed a Farnsworth 15 test which was sent to TC who a month later gave me my Class 1 "Day only" medical.
To Nashers, you stipulate that you have to do PIC time for night rating but is the night rating mandatory for a CPL or even is in uk the CPL mandatory for a Flight Instructor License ?
My main goal is a CFI license but here it seems that no CFI licenses are issued without a prior CPL license.
thanks, KTA