C1/D requirement for PRs

[skylight]

Hello everyone,

I am Permanent Resident here, and I got a shock when i received my call for interview with AC last week. They want me to produce a C1/D visa for USA. It is a crew transit visa. Problem is that the wait time for the visa interviews in Canada are quite long (no appointments until Sept).

I am considering going abroad to get it done, seems faster in some smaller countries.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Any ideas on how to epedite my C1/D processing? All ideas are welcome.

Thank you.

[digits_]

I don't think you can get a US crew visa without a letter from your employer. I know I couldn't.

[fsantana]

1) You will need a letter from the employer for the visa, to show the need for the visa.

2) As far as I know, the US Department if State -> through their Consulate General won’t let you get a visa in a country where you don’t reside. They might ask you to get the visa in the country where you currently live.

[FOD_Vacuum]

When I had to get the C1/D visa, I went to the US consulate in Calgary. Booked my appt online, had a letter from my employer, went through insane security, stood in line for an hour, the wicket lady asked why I would need it so I told her it’s for work. She approved it on the spot and even gave me a second visa which was the B1B2 visa for free. My European passport came in the mail a few days later with both visas. This was pre-Covid.

[skylight]

Thanks for sharing your experiences guys.

1) You will need a letter from the employer for the visa, to show the need for the visa.

2) As far as I know, the US Department if State -> through their Consulate General won’t let you get a visa in a country where you don’t reside. They might ask you to get the visa in the country where you currently live.

1. You are right. The email from the US consulate does mention the 'letter from employer' as a requirement. I have written to Air Canada.
2. I took an appointment at the Bahamas (it was available 3months before the Canadian one). The questionnaire leading to the schedule did ask me if i was a resident of the Bahamas. I answered 'No'. So, I guess they are ok with me not being a Bahamas resident.

[frog]

Just speculating but at the stage of an interview I suppose AC will understand that you don't have this visa since you didn't need it before.
I expect they know that they will have to provide you a letter once you are hired.

A big company like AC probable send generic letters not taking into account specific cases.

[skylight]

Just an update:

Went through the interview without the visa, and was able to check with the Pilot Recruitment Manager. I will need to produce the C1/D before i start flying with AC. So i guess i will have about 2months after the job offer.

[captshak]

Hey did you get the letter from AC for C1D visa or you went for the interview without the letter? I’m in a similar situation.

[Instructor01]

Hey did you get the letter from AC for C1D visa or you went for the interview without the letter? I’m in a similar situation.

Hello, I'm going through the same situation. Did anyone get the crew visa without The letter of employment

[herbmelnick]

Has anyone successfully received a crew visa without letter of appointment ?

[StrayPilot]

It's an unfortunate conundrum for PR pilots in Canada. And whether you'd be able to get it without an offer letter depends solely on the visa officer who is handling your case. I have read posts where people were approved for a C1/D solely by showing their license and logbook. Me personally, I tried it - albeit not in Canada - and the officer rejected and told me to apply with a letter from an employer (which was decent on their part because generally officers reject visas without giving a reason).

When I first landed in Canada as PR, the C1/D was a huge obstacle in getting a job. Got PFO'd from a 703/704 because they didn't want to wait a month while I sorted out the visa stuff. Got hired in another one who were decent enough to give me the time and required letters. I think for Porter and a few other 705's, they don't want to deal with the hassle of providing paperwork and they just expect you to have a C1/D on you before you're hired, probably expecting you to have one from your previous job or "figure it out". I assume most of them don't know that the candidate needs help from the company to secure this visa.

[Meow121.5]

Just my 2 cents..
In my case, it worked out well, and they did help me (705).
When I was going through the hiring process with Encore, my recruiter issued what they call a ¨conditional letter¨. This letter basically states that employment is conditional on obtaining the required C1/D crew visa. I was upfront with the company and told them I did not have the visa at the time. Encore supported me by providing an official letter addressed to the officers, explaining that I needed the crew visa to proceed.
Initially, the available visa appointments were up to 5 months out, which was obviously concerning. I explained this to HR and they informed me there was an option to request an expedite appointment due to operational urgency, given that my conditional Letter depended on obtaining the visa.
They issued an additional letter stating that the visa was required ASAP. I went to the US consulate, with my licence, my B1/B2 visa and the expedite request and the visa was approved. I wasn’t asked many questions, the visa was issued and stamped, and I received my passport 5 days later.
So at least in my experience, Encore, was willing to provide the necessary letters and support, which made all the difference in getting the C1/D sorted. But in fact, it was a stresful experience lol