Emigrating to Canada or Australia to work as a heli pilot

[Delta Hinge]

Hello,

I am from the UK but working as an FAA CFII in Florida. I have until April before my J1 visa expires and I am looking at the options of going to Canada or Australia to seek employment in the commercial environment. I have done some searches and have some info but was really interested to hear from anyone that has succeeded in following this route rather than going back to the UK to convert to JAA.

I will have approximately 800 hours PIC and hold FAA CPL (H) IFR (H) CFI and CFII. I am also rated on S300 CB/CBi and R22 but have no turbine time...yet.

Any info on work Visas, hours, medicals and conversions would be gratefully appreciated.

Many thanks,

DH

[Mikey D]

I'm considering doing a similar thing although i haven't started training yet. Starting in Jan in Hawaii on an M1 but then i'm going to try and go back out on a J1 to Hillsboro as i've been told it should be possible but i don't want to convert to the CAA license either and Canada and Australia/NZ are the places i'm looking at especially as visas should be a bit easier to get being british i think/hope.

[rotornut]

Sorry can't help you on the immigration stuff. However a 'Pruner told me that his employer, CHC, was looking for co-pilots on the S-76s that it operates for the Ontario Ministry of Health. He said they wanted a minimum of 500 hrs. PIC plus an IFR rating. This was a while ago and he's moved on but you might want to check them out.

[InsuranceGuy]

That would be CHL not CHC

[rotornut]

CHC is the corporate name:http://www.chc.ca/

[huey]

Hi,
As a Pommie CPLH who finally got his Oz visa after 10 years of trying I can tell you now that being British will make no difference to getting an Australian residency visa.
If you have no skills required for immigration purposes(and pilot does not count anymore) or no family members over here I would suggest trying a different country.

Sorry to bring bad news but the OZ immi process is not very easy.

Huey

[ivan]

Have a look at www.verticalreference.com, they have a number of CFII jobs (amongst others) available at present:ok:

[Delta Hinge]

Thank you for everyone's replies so far, anyone else with any info would be gratefully appreciated.

Best regards

DH

[dwoodcoc]

Mikey D, I'd be careful about doing any more than your PPL on an M1 if you then want to go home and apply for a J1. It's definitely the most sensible way to do it as you'll save yourself 3/4 months for working on the J1, but I've heard that US immigration have smartened up to people doing this and that you may risk getting the J1 application turned down if you have previously done your PPL AND IR on the M1!!

[Canadian Rotorhead]

Try http://www.canadianhelicopters.com/

As InsuranceGuy says, CHL (Canadian Helicopters Limited) is no longer owned by or directly associated with CHC. A division of CHC still leases some aircraft to CHL, but that is about it.

CDN-RH

[Mikey D]

Yeah i've been told i cant get anymore that ppl +50 hours on top. Has anyone here done the two visa thing as i havent heard of anyone yet? thanks. p.s. sorry for hijacking the thread

[Gordy]

You might want to look into the M/J visa switch very carefully, I heard a rumor that time spent on an M visa will be deducted from your J visa time.. Again, this is just a rumor I heard--do not know how reliable it is.

[AirWon]

Way back when, '94-'95 to be exact I did the M1/J1 shuffle. The M1 time was not deducted from the J1 time and so I got 2 1/2 years. Incidentally, I got married a month before my J1 ran out and am still here!!!! No, for love you cynics. And still am...., married that is.
My info obviously dated so take it with the required amount of salt.