Pilots needed for summer work in Canada
At least a month for HRDC approval. Often the persons working for the government have no idea about the aviation industry and the processing speed can be very very slow.
If you get the HRDC approval you will need to go to the consulate or the border posts outside of Canada to present yourself. You will need to have a licence from Canada, your logbooks, your HRDC letter and $400 (that was a couple of years ago. May be more now)
This can be done at the border but some Customs staff will make you go to a consulate.
Consulates are in Seattle and Buffalo. They have bizarre opening times for work visas and you will have a limited window of opportunity to get an interview. I arrived in Seattle and lined up at 0430am to be there for the 9am opening. By the time 9am came around there were another 50 people behind me. The visa staff only take applications from 10 to 12 (for example...) so if you are #51 in the line and 12:01 rolls around you have to come back next week. It is that crazy...
You will need to convert a licence as well. It should take a month which will give you something to do while you wait for HRDC. However, you are supposed to be under a student visa to attend a learning facility in Canada. If you don't mention you are training when you come into Canada, you should be able just to enter on a visitor visa (6 months) and start your training. If you mention you are training they will want a student visa. These can only come from a consulate outside of Canada, so they may send you home. Student visas take a lot of time and effort to organise and involve sending deposits, getting letters off the training organisation, sending passports etc...etc...
Seek the hassle yourself if you want. Allow 6 weeks + to get one.
So, just enter on a visitor visa and mention nothing about the licence conversion.
Recently a buddy of mine from NZ took someone else's advice regarding this and spent 3.5hrs being interviewed at Vancouver International. He mentioned he might be looking for work. He came as close as he could to being sent back downunder. They allowed him in after a lot of backtracking on his behalf.
Often antipodeans will come to Canada and try and get a job offer letter. This may be a good year for that. If you want to try to work in Canada you need to have a licence. Come over to Vancouver, convert the licence and then start making calls.
Once you have someone interested in you. Ask them to give you a no commitment job offer letter with the company logo on it. It needs to explain why they need you, the minimum requirements (licence and hours) and a good reason. IE: no pilots, specialist task you are trained for, fires are raging out of control...blah...blah.
Then you drive, hitch, bus to the border (USA) cross over on a visitor visa ($6 USD for a aussie/kiwi), turn around and drive or walk to the Canadian Customs and present yourself, letter and quals for the visa. Most guys seem to get lucky with this and get either a 6 month or 1yr visa. If the border post you go to disallows it. Return to Canada and head 100kms down the road to the next border crossing. Try again until you succeed.
If it works out, you need to register for tax and then go to work. There is also a bunch of other personal information you should bring with you if you intend to try and stay in Canada forever. I will list this if there is a demand.
Needless to say. This is not easy or cheap
I neglected to mention...
DON\\\'T bother coming here unless you have 1000hrs+.
Most of the jobs you will get in Alberta and Northern BC have 1500hr mins. Recently there has been a trend to allow 1000hr guys in on these contracts but it all depends on the moment.
If you come here under a 1000, you are competing with all the low time guys here struggling to make a living and get that first good job. Sounds hypocritical but there are just as many people here trying to get a start and it is unfair.
DON\\\'T come here and talk yourself up or state you have a pile of experience doing a particular task.
Instances of guys destroying blades, dropping loads and wrecking machines do no good to the reputation of southern hemisphere pilots. I think we adapt well to Canada, there is very little foreign to most antipodean bush guys (except the snow!) and our work ethic is appreciated.
Good fortune to those trying.
If you get the HRDC approval you will need to go to the consulate or the border posts outside of Canada to present yourself. You will need to have a licence from Canada, your logbooks, your HRDC letter and $400 (that was a couple of years ago. May be more now)
This can be done at the border but some Customs staff will make you go to a consulate.
Consulates are in Seattle and Buffalo. They have bizarre opening times for work visas and you will have a limited window of opportunity to get an interview. I arrived in Seattle and lined up at 0430am to be there for the 9am opening. By the time 9am came around there were another 50 people behind me. The visa staff only take applications from 10 to 12 (for example...) so if you are #51 in the line and 12:01 rolls around you have to come back next week. It is that crazy...
You will need to convert a licence as well. It should take a month which will give you something to do while you wait for HRDC. However, you are supposed to be under a student visa to attend a learning facility in Canada. If you don't mention you are training when you come into Canada, you should be able just to enter on a visitor visa (6 months) and start your training. If you mention you are training they will want a student visa. These can only come from a consulate outside of Canada, so they may send you home. Student visas take a lot of time and effort to organise and involve sending deposits, getting letters off the training organisation, sending passports etc...etc...
Seek the hassle yourself if you want. Allow 6 weeks + to get one.
So, just enter on a visitor visa and mention nothing about the licence conversion.
Recently a buddy of mine from NZ took someone else's advice regarding this and spent 3.5hrs being interviewed at Vancouver International. He mentioned he might be looking for work. He came as close as he could to being sent back downunder. They allowed him in after a lot of backtracking on his behalf.
Often antipodeans will come to Canada and try and get a job offer letter. This may be a good year for that. If you want to try to work in Canada you need to have a licence. Come over to Vancouver, convert the licence and then start making calls.
Once you have someone interested in you. Ask them to give you a no commitment job offer letter with the company logo on it. It needs to explain why they need you, the minimum requirements (licence and hours) and a good reason. IE: no pilots, specialist task you are trained for, fires are raging out of control...blah...blah.
Then you drive, hitch, bus to the border (USA) cross over on a visitor visa ($6 USD for a aussie/kiwi), turn around and drive or walk to the Canadian Customs and present yourself, letter and quals for the visa. Most guys seem to get lucky with this and get either a 6 month or 1yr visa. If the border post you go to disallows it. Return to Canada and head 100kms down the road to the next border crossing. Try again until you succeed.
If it works out, you need to register for tax and then go to work. There is also a bunch of other personal information you should bring with you if you intend to try and stay in Canada forever. I will list this if there is a demand.
Needless to say. This is not easy or cheap
I neglected to mention...
DON\\\'T bother coming here unless you have 1000hrs+.
Most of the jobs you will get in Alberta and Northern BC have 1500hr mins. Recently there has been a trend to allow 1000hr guys in on these contracts but it all depends on the moment.
If you come here under a 1000, you are competing with all the low time guys here struggling to make a living and get that first good job. Sounds hypocritical but there are just as many people here trying to get a start and it is unfair.
DON\\\'T come here and talk yourself up or state you have a pile of experience doing a particular task.
Instances of guys destroying blades, dropping loads and wrecking machines do no good to the reputation of southern hemisphere pilots. I think we adapt well to Canada, there is very little foreign to most antipodean bush guys (except the snow!) and our work ethic is appreciated.
Good fortune to those trying.
Last edited by Steve76; 5th May 2005 at 18:58.
Thanks Steve for your reply and explaning how things are over there.
There´s been rumour about shortage of pilots in CA wich seems not right according to you, well maybe shortage of 1000+hrs guy´s, but not in the newbie low timer department, like elsewhere on this globe
p.s. the snow is no problem for me.......
ok that is one plus thoug
There´s been rumour about shortage of pilots in CA wich seems not right according to you, well maybe shortage of 1000+hrs guy´s, but not in the newbie low timer department, like elsewhere on this globe
p.s. the snow is no problem for me.......
ok that is one plus thoug
