To come to Canada, forget trying to do it legally. Much easier to just come across at an unofficial crossing and you'll be welcomed with open arms. And they give you free stuff.

Just tell them Justin invited you!

Great comment!
 

Justin is a very charitable PM...he should see what mess we are getting into in Europe by letting these people just come into Europe...
Immigration is a good thing but it needs to be systemized and points based.

There's a lot of truth in the above statements. I immigrated in 2003-04. Even though I qualified under the Skilled Worker Program and my wife and kids were all Canadian citizens by birth, it still took almost 24 months, great expense and STUPEFYINGLY incompetent officialdom until the process was finally completed: by which time every little clerk in Vegreville had recorded everything on his/her little piece of paper at least in triplicate, rolled up the piece of paper and shoved it up his/her a**! (Because they're all anally retentive.)

I now realise that I could have saved myself all that time, money and frustration just by walking across the border while on vacation in the States, whined on CBC about how I was being repressed by someone back home who was being beastly about me being disabled / lesbian / religious or how Mother Nature had inflicted a hurricane or earthquake on me and thereby infringed my human rights. :ugh:

Of course, for the true 5* Immigration Canada experience, I should have just become a terrorist and qualified for the $10+ million award such folk now receive...

Play by the rules??? :mad: THAT!!!

Dunno about now but back in 1999 it was impossible... at least in BC... my dream was then to fly the local twotters after commercial but ended up in UK (Dual citizenship) and eventually flying 737 in SE Asia (took 3 years). The market then was crap.

Also very insular... it definitely helped who you knew... the times I was told rudely no way son...

Never thought of returning... the only thing I miss bizarrely is Thrifty's.

Hello all,

I’ve come upon the opportunity to move to Canada next summer, my wife was offered a job in Toronto and therefore I also get the legal right to work, I was hoping some of you could give your opinions regarding what jobs are within my reach realistically.

38 y/o
9000TT
3500h Pic A320
About 3000h f/o widebody (767/330)
Level 6 Icao English

Currently working for a South American carrier making a whopping $4200usd per month in the left seat of an A320, living in a country with no future that gets more expensive each day.

I have been reading a few posts here and on Avcanada as well, don’t mind going back to the right seat at all as long as I can get by on my salary and I have something resembling a quality of life.

While also browsing thsese pages I found out about Air Georgian as a DEC, if I am not mistaken the montly salary is about 6200cad, the question is, what does that get me in Toronto? Will I be able to pay rent at least?

Any input is more than welcome.

Companies won't sponsor non-residents
 

I have my PR and I came to Canada as a student, graduated to get a work permit and ultimately became a Permanent Resident under the Express Entry scheme. Companies won't sponsor non-residents to fill their Pilot vacancies. The demand isn't that bad (yet). If you're looking to increase your Express Entry points, I highly recommend giving your IELTS or CELPIP again..a good score makes a difference. :ok:

Depending on who you talk to, that could very easily describe Canada with the way trade relations is going with our cousins to the south. Although I tend to think that we will be OK in the long run, going back to the way things were before NAFTA might very well have an impact on aviation, especially in Ontario which is heavily dependent upon cross-border trade and employment. Think about the free trade between Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, and New York and all those people flying down to NYC for work. That's a lot of empty seats on a Q400, Beech 1900D, or CRJ200 if things go bad.

So, you are coming in on a work visa? I do know of guys who were hired at smaller charter companies on a work visa, but it was always on the understanding that they were already working towards a permanent residency. I'm not too sure how legal that is (i.e., if it infringes upon any privacy rights), but this was not Air Canada or WestJet and it certainly wasn't Toronto.

Rent...yes. Quality of life while living in Toronto? No.

When most people say they want to "live in Toronto" they mean down in Terminal Four - or whatever they're calling it these days - but it's roughly taken to be the area around High Park, but even that depends upon who you talk to. "In Toronto" can even mean out towards Oakville, Burlington, Milton, G-Town, etc - but only to those who did not grow up in the GTA and understand the importance of not claiming yourself from the city. :O

Most guys I know who work out of Toronto have moved out towards Guelph, Brantford, Barrie, and even as far as London to the west and Trenton to the east. The big question then becomes where your wife will be working and what sort of commute you and her want.

Yet another pilot shortage article but it appears to center on Canada so I'll put it here:


https://www.aerotime.aero/en/civil/2...nd-the-economy

My favourite bit is where they say $173,000 is 49% more expensive than $85,000

Wicked Wings,
You are welcome to ask questions.
Everyone goes thru the learning process.

The answer to your question is

Very good chances of getting an Aviation Job,
ignore the redneck doom and gloom.
Read my other recent post about jobs in Canada.

I just helped a South African get his Canadian CPL and while his situation
is different from yours, the "chances of getting an aviation job or any job" is better than anytime in 50 years or more.

It is simply mindboggling the amount of jobs, let alone in Aviation.
Every Tim Hortons or McDonalds is full of immigrants who are fast tracked
here by "agents" who are running immigration companies to supply that need.

Across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, its just amazing the number of foreign workers employed.

Now, several "mill" flying schools, do exactly the same thing, they have a large movement of students, who turn into instructors, many of them have difficult to understand accents and who leave with 500 hours to go co-pilot on a 1900.

In a company with 20 pilots within six months you can be half way up the seniority list. Things are happening that quickly.

Pilots with next to Zero "real" PIC time are going captain, which means in the next few years, we will see a number of accidents due to inexperience and more importantly, a lack of real world decision making practice.

Canada offers a wealth of opportunities in Aviation to get "real world experience" , real PIC time and move ahead rapidly.

Don't expect anyone to "Sponsor" you , it can and does happen but it will only happen, generally, if you turn up in person, gain your basic Class 4 Instructor Rating in Canada and by the time you finish the training, you will be hired, almost guaranteed.

You can get a student visa for that from SA and that will turn into an Employment Visa.

You should take careful note that some provinces, like Manitoba can arrange for not only a Student Visa but an employment visa as well which follows your training, that you pay for.

Once you are instructing, you will earn a reasonable income that could easily pay off your instructor rating in less than a year.

Now, again, go read my last post.

Regards

Ramjet

Any age limit on flight instructors in Canada?
I am turning 60 soon and still want to fly for a living.

Hi, there is no age limits on flight instructors. You would be welcome.

The demand for pilots has gone nuts in Canada. Maintaining staffing of flight instructors is a major challenge for flying schools.

Adam

Love PanAm,
Take a close gander at the post of PittsS2B,

Harv's is a great place to start, Adam, Luke or Harv will have you instructing in
a shorter time than you now think possible.

Instructors now rarely get past a few hundred hours before they move on.

If you like instructing, all you need to do is a practice ground, practice air, and get a recommendation and rewrite the written, if its been more than two years. If you have any experience , you could be doing your practice in the morning and your ride in the afternoon.

They are begging for instructors across Canada and with some real world experience, students will be lucky to have you, and, you will probably be a sought after instructor.


Now, there is a second tier of flight training in Canada.
Once they get their
CPL MIFR, with 250 hours they are being put right seat on turbine aircraft
where their flight training continues.

Ramjet

Hello guys,

just a question:
I got a CPL IR (easa) about 1000 hours (sep), do you think it's easier to get a Visa for a european ?

maybe a naive question but it's worth a try : would the airlines up there offert a license conversion (kind of sponsorship..) ?

thank you!

No.

It's a cheap country filled with cheap managers and cheap companies. If it costs money, you have to pay for it yourself. I am being only slightly facetious.

Pittss2b and Ramjet555

Thanks for the information.
I had a look at Harv'Air. I like their fleet especially tailwheel and Pitts aircraft, also the seaplane. I will try to find out more about the possibility to get a job there, but according to their info on hiring, I would have to apply to immigration as I will not train for a least 8 months there. If I did CPL and FI training at their school, it would be very easy to get hired.

Thanks to all.
Happy landings!

Jobs in Canada for Australians
 

If you are an Australian Citizen and have some experience
and want to have the experience of working in Canada drop me a line.

Prefer to hear from someone with turbine multi time.

Drop me a PM

WickedWings
 

Apologize for the OT.
But WICKEDWINGS, you sent me a private message,I had time just now to reply to you, but you're not receiving message.
bye

I instructed for 3 years back in the mid-80's then interviewed for ATC. The best move I personally made, got off that gawd aweful gerbil wheel of chasing my phantom dream job. Just telling my experience and no one else.

This thread hasn’t been updated in a while, so thought I’d garner opinion on the current prospects in the Canadian aviation market. Currently LHS 777, around 10k hours. Would happily sit RHS in a Q400 or E-Jet. What are the chances of being hired as a foreign national? Particularly for the west coast? Any tips on the best way to get the ball rolling?