Hi everyone, maybe someone out here is in a similar situation as I am and could help me out here. so I’m a Canadian citizen, I’ve been living in Texas on an M-1 visa while I attend flight school. I’m currently about halfway through my instrument rating and will be moving onto commercial multi. I’m trying to figure out the best applications to look at to work in / live in the States.
If anyone has any suggestions or people I could reach out to it would be greatly appreciated.
Anne,
I think the first thing you’ll need to address is your immigrant status. An M-1 visa is a student visa and does not give you the right to work in the US.
Adam
The program I attend only offered M-1s to Canadians so I took it in order to start my flying career. But yes, I’m trying to see if I could convert my M-1 into a type of working visa or simply apply for a new one. I’m just not sure what to look for aside from applying to small airliners and seeing if they would be willing to sponsor me for a contracted working visa.
Anne,
Well first you’re going to need some type of work visa to build the required 1500hrs to fly for any US airline. I don’t see an airline sponsoring you until you work that out.
Adam
Anne,
It would be best to speak with an immigration attorney. We are not able to offer advice in that area.
Chris
Anne,
Some regional airlines have foreign pilot sponsorship programs that will help you through the conversion process and getting hired. I’m not sure which airline accepts Canadian applicants. However, I know Skywest and GoJet have these type of programs. Canadians may be part of that agreement as well but you’ll have to reach out to recruiters at each airline to talk about the specifics.
Hannah