Importance of the ability to fly into the US

[StrayPilot]

Was wondering if anyone has an idea regarding this. I'm landing as PR later this year and will be converting my license and be out on a job hunt. Well my doubt is regarding most operators and airlines that fly into US and the fact that I don't have a Canadian passport. I've seen few job openings that say "Canadian passport or right to work in Canada with right to fly into US", but most of them only ask that you're a PR or Canadian citizen.

The problem is in Canada right now when I check US visa interview waiting times, they go well beyond 800 days

To get around this issue, I attempted to apply for a C1/D right now in my country of residence before flying into Canada, but was unsuccessful as the visa officer said that I'd have to already be settled in Canada and apply for the C1/D with an employer letter (seems like quite a loop, need a job to apply for the visa, need a visa to apply for the job).

So I guess my question is, how much does the ability to travel to or fly into the US as crew affect the chances of employment by major operators? What do operators do with those who are hired without current visas to fly into the US? Do they find different places to send us for training and not schedule them to US sectors?

[digits_]

It will depend on your experience. If you only have 200 hours it's unlikely a company will want to go through the trouble of you needing a visa if they do operate in the US.

If you're an ATPL holder with relevant experience it will almost be irrelevant. 800 days is a long time though, but they likely won't be aware of that. Are you able to visit a US embassy in another country to speed things up?

[pild04]

Was wondering if anyone has an idea regarding this. I'm landing as PR later this year and will be converting my license and be out on a job hunt. Well my doubt is regarding most operators and airlines that fly into US and the fact that I don't have a Canadian passport. I've seen few job openings that say "Canadian passport or right to work in Canada with right to fly into US", but most of them only ask that you're a PR or Canadian citizen.

The problem is in Canada right now when I check US visa interview waiting times, they go well beyond 800 days

To get around this issue, I attempted to apply for a C1/D right now in my country of residence before flying into Canada, but was unsuccessful as the visa officer said that I'd have to already be settled in Canada and apply for the C1/D with an employer letter (seems like quite a loop, need a job to apply for the visa, need a visa to apply for the job).

So I guess my question is, how much does the ability to travel to or fly into the US as crew affect the chances of employment by major operators? What do operators do with those who are hired without current visas to fly into the US? Do they find different places to send us for training and not schedule them to US sectors?

Although the interview wait time may be 800 days, you could get a much earlier date if you constantly check the portal (literally everyday) as there are always cancellations. I know a person who initially got a date 1 year out for the B1/B2 visa and managed to get a date 2 months out due to a cancellation.

I don't have answers to your other questions but I believe they have been asked on this forum before. Try googling your query with "avcanada" mentioned in the search bar. Google search yields better results than a search on Avcanada.

Good luck!

[StrayPilot]

It will depend on your experience. If you only have 200 hours it's unlikely a company will want to go through the trouble of you needing a visa if they do operate in the US.
If you're an ATPL holder with relevant experience it will almost be irrelevant.

I have quite a bit of flying time around 5500 with 1500+ in multi engine time, albeit all piston engine. If all goes to plan, I should have a TC ATPL in hand as well before I start applying for jobs. I hope that counts for something

800 days is a long time though, but they likely won't be aware of that. Are you able to visit a US embassy in another country to speed things up?

Actually I'm also quite unclear on that, some consulate websites specify that you've to be a resident where you apply, but I've been looking around seems like I could fly into Bahamas for example to get a faster slot.

[StrayPilot]

Was wondering if anyone has an idea regarding this. I'm landing as PR later this year and will be converting my license and be out on a job hunt. Well my doubt is regarding most operators and airlines that fly into US and the fact that I don't have a Canadian passport. I've seen few job openings that say "Canadian passport or right to work in Canada with right to fly into US", but most of them only ask that you're a PR or Canadian citizen.

The problem is in Canada right now when I check US visa interview waiting times, they go well beyond 800 days

To get around this issue, I attempted to apply for a C1/D right now in my country of residence before flying into Canada, but was unsuccessful as the visa officer said that I'd have to already be settled in Canada and apply for the C1/D with an employer letter (seems like quite a loop, need a job to apply for the visa, need a visa to apply for the job).

So I guess my question is, how much does the ability to travel to or fly into the US as crew affect the chances of employment by major operators? What do operators do with those who are hired without current visas to fly into the US? Do they find different places to send us for training and not schedule them to US sectors?

Although the interview wait time may be 800 days, you could get a much earlier date if you constantly check the portal (literally everyday) as there are always cancellations. I know a person who initially got a date 1 year out for the B1/B2 visa and managed to get a date 2 months out due to a cancellation.

I don't have answers to your other questions but I believe they have been asked on this forum before. Try googling your query with "avcanada" mentioned in the search bar. Google search yields better results than a search on Avcanada.

Good luck!

Oh that search tip really helped, I really couldn't find anything useful with the search function in avcanada. Seems there were quite a lot of them who were able get their C1/D processed during their airline ground school phase so they have it in hand by the time they're released to fly.

The fact that earlier dates become available at times is a relief

Thank you

[spruceair]

I don’t know a lot about particulars surrounding Visas, but for my company, it comes down to the ability to train in a simulator. All our two crew aircraft train in the sim, and only one is in Canada. The rest are spread around the United States. For some aircraft, on wing training is possible, but some customer contacts require sim training.

[lvf_abv_clouds]

dont worry about the C1D visa now. You need a job letter from the company before you can get the visa. Some companies require this before hand simply because the people handling this have little to no knowledge about the process all they know is its needed. But some would offer you the job if you are a PR and then will provide you time and letter to secure the visa. It really depends on where you apply to be honest. when it comes to wait times once you have a company letter to get your C1D book an appointment at the closest embassy and then through the booking portal ask for an expedited appointment and let them know you are a flight crew and need it for your job and you should be able to get one much sooner. mind you the company letter isn't just a job offer letter, its a letter you need to get written and signed etc. probably from HR saying stating that the company flies to US destinations and possibly even list them.

[JBI]

For some airlines, if you are unable to fly to the US it will be a deal breaker. However, if you find that you're having some challenges when applying, just remember that there are some slightly smaller operators that don't have scheduled operations into the US such as Canadian North, Air North, Calm Air, Wasaya, Pacific Coastal, Provincial Airlines etc. (I recognize that many of these operators do have some US flights, but not to the extent of WJ/AC/TS etc. )

While it may not be exactly what you're going for, I think that you'll find that they are generally less concerned than say Air Canada and WestJet.

[StrayPilot]

Thank you all for your replies. It's actually quite a big relief reading these. Seems like I was overthinking and trying to plan more than I could before landing.

Basically will just go with the flow and see where it take me. Nice to know regarding the availability of expedited appointments as well if needed.