View Full Version : Pilot jobs that a temporary resident visa holder can apply
glideslopealive
28th Jun 2023, 15:27
Hello everyone,
I am a foreign pilot with FAA ATP, Emb 145 PIC, B737, PIC B1900 SIC. I have a Canadian Temporary Resident Visa valid till December 2027. I am in the process of converting my FAA certificate to TC ATPL. Please could i get some advise on any operator/airline/company that may consider hiring a foreign pilot. I visit Canada often and my next trip will be in September this year to conclude my license conversion. Thank you
As long as you have the legal right to work in Canada and have the applicable Canadian licenses and ratings for the position you are applying for, most companies will hire a foreign pilot. The only catch will be your temporary visa. That will probably put you out of competition at the likes of the major airlines (AC, WJ, PD, etc.). Your best bet would be to look at the commuter operators, for example, Chartright, Air Partners, Air Sprint, and Sunwest. Then work to get the temporary visa turned into a permanent one and you'll be golden.
With that said, why if you have an FAA ATPL are you not looking to work in the US? US wages and working conditions are typically FAR superior to those in Canada. Unless you have a partner like I do who will leave you before a move to the US, I'd consider a move to the US. If that's not an option, then continue on and best of luck!
glideslopealive
1st Jul 2023, 15:26
As long as you have the legal right to work in Canada and have the applicable Canadian licenses and ratings for the position you are applying for, most companies will hire a foreign pilot. The only catch will be your temporary visa. That will probably put you out of competition at the likes of the major airlines (AC, WJ, PD, etc.). Your best bet would be to look at the commuter operators, for example, Chartright, Air Partners, Air Sprint, and Sunwest. Then work to get the temporary visa turned into a permanent one and you'll be golden.
With that said, why if you have an FAA ATPL are you not looking to work in the US? US wages and working conditions are typically FAR superior to those in Canada. Unless you have a partner like I do who will leave you before a move to the US, I'd consider a move to the US. If that's not an option, then continue on and best of luck!
Thanks for the reply TSRA. I would have preferred working in the US. But the only route available for me to obtain a work visa is the EB-3 visa. The legal and processing fees together is about $9k. Thats a lot of cash to gamble with. I have seen a 64yrs old pilot been granted the EB-3 visa and I have also seen 28yrs pilot been rejected same visa. Also as a foreign pilot, starting at US airlines you will be on the right seat until at least you hit 1000hrs mark. I have being applying to part 135 operators in the US, but most are unwilling to bring in a foreign pilot because of the bureaucratic process. But if you know of any 135 operator in the US that sponsors work visas for foreign pilots please let me know
I don't know of any operator in the US that will sponsor a foreign pilot, but that's only because I'm not looking to move to the US. I've heard there are some that do, but I'll let other, more knowledgeable people on that chime in.
What I will say about the EB-3 visa, knowledgeable only because friends of mine are doing it, is that you have to demonstrate that you've done something above and beyond the average pilot with your career. A 64-year-old pilot has possibly flown multiple types, been involved in training and checking at the airline level, and may have done a few rounds through standards or management positions. The 28-year-old pilot has likely done none of that, with maybe one or two type ratings and a few thousand hours (if that), with maybe some ab initio instructing. It is that difference in experience that makes all the difference. Remember: the government doesn't care what you will do for an individual company, but rather what you can bring to the industry as a whole. The company cares that the 64-year-old won't be able to sit left seat for long, but that's not the government's concern with respect to the visa.
I'd also suggest that you consider taking a right seat spot and not going direct left seat. When I was in a standards position, I trained and coached a lot of Direct Entry Captains, and the most common response from them after the 6-month mark was that they wish they had sat right seat for six months and after a year they wished they had sat right seat for a year if only to get comfortable with the way the company operates the airplane. And this was from guys with 20 years of heavy international jet time coming back to turboprops and medium jets who I felt were giving me line indoctrination, not the other way around. But, if it's an option and you think you can make it work, go for it. Just know you'll be sitting at the bottom of the seniority list until the FO one number ahead of you upgrades. It could be a long wait on reserve, out of base, doing the commuting thing. Lots of guys I know hold off on the upgrade just so they don't have to hold reserve. So I suppose all I'm saying is to keep your options open.