Quite a number of Brits used to come over each Winter with the aircraft to do flights for Skyservice ( 7-8 years ago).
It was a reciprocal arrangement with the Skyservice guys bringing aircraft over to Europe in the Summer.
Of course the unions on both sides howled and whined . The year I did it Transport Canada decided to limit the number of validations and and Skyservice paid for around 50 of us to do a course to obtain a Canadian ATPL as well as a Work permit .
It was a great experience and we loved it. The vast majority of Canadians were very welcoming and a pleasure to fly with. The aircraft were reregistered and a half-hearted attempt at a respray. They were cleared to fly two tonnes heavier than in UK ( A320) and then back down two tonnes when back home.
Of course a Canadian pilot should have first crack at a Canadian flying job but , in this case, with the aircraft moving backwards and forwards , there would have to be a lot of hiring and firing.
As the world becomes more global, perhaps it is appropriate that pilots can lead the way.