I've done some research around the site and not found all the info I'm looking for easily. Has anyone from the US that doesn't have current Canadian licenses or the right to work put in the effort to get on with Air Canada or WestJet? I live across the border from Vancouver and it seems like an optimal career. I am willing to do what it takes provided I don't go broke doing it. I understand there are license conversion requirements which seems like a good place to start. Any idea what this entails? Just writtens or flights also? In addition, what about the actual right to work there? And how competitive would an american be in their job market? Thanks for any info that can be provided!

 

How to get a TCCA license is buried in FSIMS under issuing a FAA cert based on a foreign license. First you need a Canadian medical, then a written or two. No flight test. Go about 75 percent down on the linked page.

FSIMS Document Viewer

 

If you do not have the right to work in Canada this will be a problem. There is an abundance of pilots in Canada and therefore neither AC or Westjet can sponsor you. Unless you get Landed immigrant status through another avenue I would not hold a lot of hope.
That said I did the opposite. I came to USA from Canada as an RN and got permanent resident status. Did flight training as a hobby to start and ended up having it as my career.

 

Looked at Canada a few years back. Getting a residence/right to work permit should be fairly easy if you are a college educated airline pilot and are a native English (or French) speaker. I think there is a financial requirement, along the lines of $10,000-$15,000 (Canadian) that has to be placed in a Canadian account. You'll have to look up the specifics, but I know I met all the requirements back in 2010 and what I mentioned were the biggies that I remember.

I went so far as to get a Canadian license as well. The process is pretty easy. As mentioned get a Canadian medical first. I got lucky in that my AME in PHX was also a Canadian AME. Once that is done they will send you your medical with your Canadian "file number" printed on it. The file number will be what is used to identify you for everything else in the process; it also becomes you license number. You then fill out a form that gives TCCA the right to request your records from the FAA. After TCCA gets your FAA records you then can schedule your conversion written test (25 or 30 questions - can't remember). There is a flight school in Winnepeg that has an online study course for the conversion test. I paid $100 (IIRC) and spent three days studying for the test. Head up to Canada and get some passport pictures taken and then take the test. The test took me 15 minutes at the TCCA office in Vancouver (the one on Burrard Street in downtown). I left the TCCA with my logbooks as they needed something to prove you met their ATPL minimums. Used a credit card to pay for the test, license and $30 for each type rating I wanted to transfer over. About two months after I took the test I got my Canadian ATPL in the mail. It looks like a passport complete with a passport photo identification page. You can pay to have your logbooks FedEx'd back or you have to go pick them up.

I have not pursued Canada yet, but as long as I send TCCA copies of my PCs and keep my medical somewhat current, I have my license ready to go. The other nice thing is if I ever run afoul of the FAA, I have another ICAO license with which to make a living in the contract world.

All told I spend about $400 on the conversion process.

 

Thanks for the info. I just did my Canadian medical yesterday. Are you saying I can't send in the application for certificate validation and ADB until they reply to me about my medical?

Or is the number which you are referring to no the paperwork the doctor filled out?

I'm in Hong Kong and would like to send this off now so I can take the test in March... If I have to wait for them to reply about the medical, I don't think I will be able to take the test in March. (It says it could take 90 days to verify type ratings.)

EDIT: I reread the instructions... I should be able to get the number from the doctor and send it in right away. Any other advice would be great!

I'm doing it also to have a back up for the FAA... and my wife is Canadian, so the right to work thing could be sorted pretty easily. Thanks for the info.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "reply about the medical". According to the website / staff instruction you seem to need the medical in hand to fill out the application. It may work with just the file number - I don't know for sure.

Conversion agreement between U.S. and Canadian officials - Transport Canada

I did my conversion exam in Winnipeg. They were accessible, informed, and friendly. Recommended. Indeed, you could Skype their office and ask them your question directly.

Oh. yeah, I didn't have to leave them my logbooks. They had a look and handed them back to me when they were satisfied. There's 20k + hours of flying (a lot of books!) so they didn't feel the need to keep 'em, I guess.

 

I'm an American working in Canada right now. I worked for a regional airline in the United States before I came up here.

The aviation scene up here is a lot different than it is in the United States. As an American with landed immigrant status in Canada you should have no problem working in Canada. Air Canada has recently hire a lot of low time pilots with no jet time, part 705 (part 121 in the U.S.) experience and no four year degree. They've hired pilots off PC12s Beach 1900, King Airs, and other various GA aircraft flying medivac, charters, and cargo up north. Air Canada will probably open up there app window towards the end of 2014. Since they increase the retirement age to 65, things are a little stagnant right now in the hiring department. The ATP conversion is easy that consist of a 25 question test and some paper work. The first step is getting a medical that comes with a file number which is your license number, but it looks like you done that so far. The Transport Canada office here in Toronto just wanted copies of the last six pages of my logbook that I scanned and emailed to them.

The hardest part about coming up and flying here is the immigration process. I had to hire an immigration lawyer to speed up the process to get my PR Card.

 

If you're looking for details on Big Red or WJ PM me for details

 

And study up on cold weather ops!