International Mobility Program: Unique work situations – Airline personnel

Provisions contained in the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation allow for the largely unrestricted and expeditious entry of foreign air carrier personnel to the extent that such personnel is necessary to perform supervisory and technical duties connected with the operation of international air services. The agreement embodies elements of reciprocity that mutually benefits Canadians, and Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada has assessed workers under a variety of legislative authorities.

Officers should review the specific legislation referenced and the processing instructions in the Program Delivery Instructions (PDIs) for each category of worker specified below:

• flight crews who meet the definition of member of a crew under subsection 3(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) and the requirements under paragraph R186(s) may work without a work permit – review the information provided under Work related to transportation for additional information
• operational, technical and ground personnel of foreign commercial airlines require work permits but are labour market impact assessment (LMIA)–exempt under the Canada–International Non–Trade Agreements [R204(a) – T11] of the International Mobility Program
• station managers are LMIA-exempt and may be considered as Intra-company transferees (ICT) – [R205(a) – C62] provided they meet the guidelines of the International Mobility Program
  • A station manager at an airport typically works directly for an airline (such as Air Canada, Delta, AirAsia) or a third-party ground handling company contracted by an airline to manage their local operations. They are responsible for directing day–to–day operations, safety compliance and passenger service at a specific airport location. They also manage staff, oversee budget, ensure on–time performance and maintain relationships with airport authorities.
• foreign airline security guards are LMIA–exempt and may be considered under Significant benefit to Canada [R205(a) – C10]
  • Although some airlines include security guards as part of their flight crew, some airlines choose to have them stationed in Canada on a more permanent basis. The employer may be either the airline itself (such as El–Al) or a third–party company contracted by an airline to manage their local security.