Nafta

[VRThomas]

Hi,

I am looking for answers on Canadian ATPLs flying in the US.

Thanks

VRT

[dartman]

what is your question? Generally, you require a liscence appropriate to the country where the a/c is registered, not where you are flying. A few exceptions, but that is a general rule.

[VRThomas]

Hello Dartman,

There is a crewing company hiring pilots to fly 47's for a foreign carrier out of HNL. One of their requirements is to have the right to live and work in the US.

I think this may not necessarily be a real or legally justified restriction in so far as it applies to Canadian citizens

My question is: as a Canadian citizen, under the NAFTA, (or not), do I have the right to work at such a job providing I will not be taking up permanent residence in the country?

Do you have any experience with this type of scenario?

Thanks,:ok:

VRT

[dartman]

Well it is a bit of a sticky issue, and you rarely get a straight answer. But to answer your question(s), yes on both accounts,

dartman

[bzhpilot]

I think only some "specific" job apply to that NAFTA rule. The list include mostly bachelor minimum degree level.
Pilots are not recognized as a bachelor degree...I bet a lot of pilot thought about that NAFTA agreement unfortunately it doesn,t work for pilot. You can still work under a working visa but that's another pain in the a@# to get.
Apply still and you'll see...
Good luck...

[20driver]

I've being doing TN-(Nafta) visa's for years. I suggest you drive to a busy border crossing, go in and talk to an immigration inspector - He can look it up in the book that lists all the covered positions (it's a long list). Engineers, nurses etc are covered, I do not think pilots are. If it is not listed , describe the situation and ask his opinion. I really would not bother trying to get this info from an Embassy.
In years of dealing with the immigration guys @ the border they've always being really helpfull. I was looking to hire Canadians to work oversea for my company here, transiting through the US. I was told this was OK. My take on it would be if you can get them to pay you in Canada and it is a foreign airline etc etc you will be OK with immigartion. If they want to pay you in the US you'll need a visa.
Good luck

[Rosbif]

You can ask the immigration people for a form, I forget the number, which has all of the professions listed. (In other words, all of those jobs for which you could get a TN visa)
Pilots are not professionals according to the INS. This has been decided and perpetuated in part because ALPA, the union to which you might one day be paying dues in Canada as an airline pilot, has been in front of congress to make sure that pilots stay off the list.
So, according to ALPA, a professional's union, its members are not professionals.
Welcome to the wonderful world of the trade union movement !!
Welcome to free trade !!

Now, if you were a "model" or a "consultant" (with no degree, but work experience), you would be a professional.

Aren't you happy that you chose to be a pilot ?

[Willie Everlearn]

VRThomas

...I hope this helps....

To get in on a contract with HACS (JAL or ANA based in PHNL) you need a Green Card. End of discussion. If you don't have a Green Card don't waste your time. No American carrier is going to sponsor a 'foreign' pilot candidate.
It's America for heavens sake. Not Canada!

If you're not sure what a Green Card is, then you really need to find out more. The NAFTA agreement has nothing to do with it. And as it's already been stated, pilots are NOT considered Professionals or a Profession (contrary to popular belief among pilots) by the INS.
:confused:

If you don't have immediate family to sponsor you into the USA, try the annual lottery. (Canadians aren't eligible. We have it too good here) You might just luck out. Again, it's a crap shoot. Not to mention time consuming.
:sad:

The other option is to 'legitimately' marry a US citizen. A marriage of convenience is the first thing INS will try to sniff out. Not necessarily a good idea.
:oh:


If you are European or of European descent, there's your answer as far as a flying job is concerned. For less hassle and a mountain of dollars you can get a JAA licence and with about 350-400 hours take a right seat job in an A320 or B737NG. Much easier than dealing with Homeland Security or thousands of Canadian operators, believe me.

I sure hope this helps more than it discourages, but GO FOR IT DUDE!!! Go for it.

:ok:


by the way, you might want to check this out.

http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/residency/divvisa.htm

[RobertFL]

Willie
You mentioned in your post that if someone is europea it is easy to get a job on aribus or boeing, how? what you meant ?