Ukrainian Seafarers

Ukrainians seafarers can work in Canada with a CUAET visa for up to 3 years. Ukrainians seafarers can also work on Canadian flagged boats as long as they can get endorsed by Transport Canada, under the condition they obtained their STCW certificates through a maritime academy based in Ukraine. (STCW certificates obtained in a russian maritime academy will be refused). If they are not endorsed by Transport Canada, they can still work under convenience flagged boats operated by canadian shippers. No information is yet available from governments concerning possibilities to apply for Permanent Residency.

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1. Apply for CUAET if you don't have it already. Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/ukraine-measures/portal-application-ukraine-cuaet.html

2. Come to Canada and apply to open work permit (duration of 3 years for Ukrainians) at FIRST port of entrance (either by plane, boat, or land border from the USA). Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/ukraine-measures/ukraine-open-work-permit.html. Permanent Residency is not guaranteed at the end of the 3 years visa but canadian government will possibly allow Permanent Residence application since we have strong labour shortage, especially in the merchant shipping industry.

3. Take Note: People from Australia, France, Georgia, Norway and Ukraine can work on Canadian flagged vessels, if they have valid STCW certificates which can be endorsed by Transport Canada.
   Link: https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-training-certification-individuals/request-canadian-endorsement-attesting-recognition-foreign-certificate-through-reciprocal-arrangement#toc2

4. Begin endorsement process with Transport Canada and have all your STCW certificates ready. Keep in mind that you will need an employer for the process to be completed at 100% so they can assign you certain tests + your medical exam so TC can finally endorse you and your certificates. It will allow you to work on Canadian flagged boats. Ukrainians with diplomas obtained in Russia will not be endorsed by Transport Canada.

1. Documentation for endorsement with Transport Canada: https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-training-certification-individuals/request-canadian-endorsement-attesting-recognition-foreign-certificate-through-reciprocal-arrangement#toc5

2. Document to fill (PDF formats): https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-training-certification-individuals/request-canadian-endorsement-attesting-recognition-foreign-certificate-through-reciprocal-arrangement#toc4
   

3. Transport Canada email address to send filled forms for endorsement: RecognitionofCertificates-Reconnaissancedesbrevets@tc.gc.ca

Hiring season on the East Coast of Canada begins at the middle/end of the month of march and ends in october. November-February is dead season because sea locks in the seaway are locked for maintenance while thick ice covers all water and slows down boats in the Saint-Laurent river and in the great lakes. You can try your luck during dead season (or all year long) with BC Ferries on the west coast: https://www.bcferries.com/our-company/bc-ferries-jobs
Keep an eye on sea jobs on https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/home.

Additional info:

1. You might want to use AirBnb to find a temporary place to live and possibly negociate with your host for a long term stay. You might get good deals, while there is housing crisis in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax. Best city to live in if you work on the east coast is Halifax, since most ship companies have ships stopping by, and there is a maritime academy there.

2. Taxes are higher in Quebec (by 5% to 7% more) and you need to speak or at least learn speaking french during employment. You can use income tax calculator from Talent.com to compare tax rates between provinces in Canada https://ca.talent.com/tax-calculator

3. Cost of living is quite high in Canada. If you move with your family and rent a house, cost of living might be too expensive to live on a single salary. It is recommended both parents work if you come with your family. Keep that in mind.

4. If you face any special problems at any steps in your job application, let Alexandre Jourdain (Contact Us section) from Beluga Talents know about it and he will try to help you find solutions.

5. Applications from India, Bangladesh, China and Philippines nationals will not be accepted as of now.
   

6. Unemployed candidates will most of the time, be prioritized over already employed candidates.