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Commuting to Cathay

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dash8driver said:
I should have done a better job with my original question. I understand the consequences of doing it illegally. I just wasn't sure what the deal was between the US and Canada specifically. Historically the relationship between US and Canada has been a bit more liberal than with other countries.

I wasn't sure if they'd even consider basing someone in a country in which they didn't have a passport for.

Second, as I'm certain the requirements cant be as difficult as they are in the EU, has anyone pulled this off legally? If so, what did it take?

Bonus question: If you get based in HKG, do you also have to arrange your own permit to live and work in HKG?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I took this right off the Cathay website... This should answer your question..

An applicant must possess the right to live and work in the chosen Base Area. The Company will not sponsor applications to immigration authorities for Flight Crew to live and work in any port other than Hong Kong.

Hey Captain Underpants good to see you providing succinct and valuable information. I have always valued your input...
 
fogrunner said:
I took this right off the Cathay website... This should answer your question..

An applicant must possess the right to live and work in the chosen Base Area. The Company will not sponsor applications to immigration authorities for Flight Crew to live and work in any port other than Hong Kong.

Hey Captain Underpants good to see you providing succinct and valuable information. I have always valued your input...
Click to expand...

Thanks, I also appreciate everyone's time to answer all of our questions. I'll be happy to buy a beer or grape Nehi if we ever cross paths.

That does answer the bonus question. Now I just need to find out if anyone successfully got a permit to work for CX out of YVR from the US and if they did, how difficult it was.

For the record, this isn't my plan. I agreed to put this question up for a friend of mine who is also applying. It's not a deal breaker for him but it would definitely help if he could pull this off (legally of course) and keep his house.

I'm nowhere near a base. If I'm able to survive the gauntlet, I'll be moving no matter what.
 
dash8driver said:
They are offering Canadian ports to US pilots? If you wanted to live in SEA and work in YVR, is it a problem to get a permit to work in Canada?
Click to expand...


In fact, a good friend of mine got offered just that, A340 DEFO out of VYR while he is an Amercian citizen and living in Bellingham, WA.

I won't pretend to know the details.
 
Well, if he told CX that he had the right to live and work in YVR, then they would have offered him the job in YVR.

They may even know that he's American, and choose to ignore it.

I can assure any of you thinking along similar lines that if the Canadian Immigration and Tax Authorities get wind of your situation (US Citizen living in the US and working out of Canada and not on a work visa or without a landed immigrant visa - like a green card) you will probably regret it.

They typically levy large fines and interest on back taxes, occasionally jail terms.

Canadian income tax can be very punitive - two parts, Federal and Provincial added together can be upwards of 50%. http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/individuals/faq/taxrates-e.html

I really wish all of you the best of luck in your pursuit of better jobs, but please don't take these positions away from Canadians...there are few enough jobs to go around anyway up North! (Legal issues aside).
 
What about all the Canadians based in the US (USAB)? At least on the pax side, the great majority of the pilots are Canadians.
 
How easy (or hard) is it to move around bases? One reason CX interests me is the ability to live in AMS, PAR, LON etc. Assume the right to work in each place...just wondering if say 3 years in one base and then 3 years in another base is possible?
 
Not officially of course, but we have a few guys living in Phuket (Thailand) - commuting on their own steam- one or two in Japan - again commuting without official sanction - and a couple in Taiwan and Macau, who are there for family reasons. I don't know about the tax issues in these cases.

The commuting thing is a little risky, and you should always be prepared to fork out for a full fare, especially during high days and holidays. If you're a no show for a duty (and have a standby ticket), you can expect ONE warning and then a termination notice.

If you're delayed or can't make a duty due to weather or technical (and so on) and you HAVE a full fare ticket, they're OK with that. Generally, they (CX) expect you to behave responsibly and if there is a chance you won't make the duty, give them enough time to call out a reserve and not delay the flight.

There are some interesting laws in HKG regarding taxation and residency, and in some cases, you can be tax exempt in HKG provided you can prove (and don't quote me on this) that you were not in HKG for more than 60 days in a tax year. The guys who do "runners" at the airport to VMMC and RCTP may also be doing that to stay away from HKG tax - all of 16% flat tax by the way.
 
This is from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website explaining why you do not need a work permit if you commute to YVR or YTO from the US.

Crew members
Foreign members of crews working on foreign vehicles (for example, flight attendants and members of ships’ crews) do not need a work permit if the vehicle is in Canada for the international transportation of cargo or passengers.

link
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/apply-who-nopermit.asp

I believe the US has the same exemption in the CFRs somewhere. Where the vehicle is registered is more important than where the flight begins.
 
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I saw that same blurb on the canadian site, but i took it to mean that if you are doing an overnite in canada you dont need a visa. I tried to call the consulate but got no answer there, so I may try to drop in and talk to them directly. i will let you know what they say...and this has more meaning to me as I was just informed that i was successful at the second interview!
 
What will happen when the bases go "on-shore"? Then you will be working for either a CAN or US company.

46
 
6 in my interview. 4 have got hired, 2 not hired. No one brought spouses.
On shore bases, not really sure, but the statement above indicates foreign crews on foreign aircraft, so I think that a US guy driving to YVR or YYZ to take a B registered AC to Hong Kong would still apply. Not really sure of course, but I will ask if I can get into the consulate to ask.
 

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