Originally Posted by
darkman62
Here is my take on the foreign visas, how easy is it for an American to go and fly for a Canadian company ??? Or a American to fly in Europe? They are good enough to train here but we are not good enough to fly there! Sorry things suck in your country at this time but I did not see allot of foreign companies holding there doors open to us after the US aviation labor market imploded. We are finally starting to get some of what was taken from us & do not really need cheap foreign labor to keep the oh so stagnant market that way!
F$%K YA! LET'S BUILD A WALL TO KEEP THOSE DAMN FOREIGN PILOTS OUT!
(disclaimer: I'm Canadian with a legal US Visa)
Things don't suck in Canada for pilot jobs at the moment by any means. Someone would get on a jet with lower hours in US than in Canada and the pay is (finally) higher at US regionals with the hiring bonuses, but the Canadian regionals are hiring a significant number of pilots in the 2000 hour range.
Also, the visa process is roughly equivalent. It is easier for a US ATP to obtain a Canadian ATPL than the reverse. Also, I believe, but am not sure, it is easier to obtain Canadian permanent resident status than it is to obtain a Green Card - shorter time period and a few less restrictions. But, to get an immediate visa to work at an airline is just as difficult.
It's all fair to have opinions on foreign affairs, but perhaps a little more research would be in order before making make statements about 'cheap foreign labor' or the job market in other countries. In the words of the current president "Ignorance is not a virtue. It's not cool to not know what you're talking about."
Further thoughts to the OP, I've been looking at both Canadian and US regional jobs and while both have pros and cons, I'm leaning towards staying in Canada and commuting from the US. Although with the exchange rate it is less pay and you'll likely be flying a Q400 instead of a Jet, the schedule and lifestyle seems to be markedly better for the first while. Most US regional require a relatively long period on reserve whereas only Jazz and Porter have any type of reserve of new hires and it's relatively short.
Also, most US regionals have multiple bases that you are assigned based on seniority whereas in Canada, while you may have to move to the Toronto area, you have a pretty good idea of where you're going to be based before getting hired.
The final point is that almost all of the regionals in Canada have flow through or a guaranteed interview to mainline. This is something that only some regional in the US have.