aussie in america

[cwc]

OK guys, got a question.

Both my wife and I have lived in America before- Myself for only 3 months while I did some Asian language study and my better half for a year and a half in Salt Lake. We would like to go back over but not too sure on how an Australian with no links to America would go about getting a flying job in the states. Do smaller companies sponsor? Larger ones or regionals at that? I only have 500hrs at this stage but flying on average 80hrs a month so going up fast. Any suggestions?

Much appreciated.

[jester_icarus]

The company i work for flies USPS, UPS contracts. The company tried on several occasion to sponson abroad pilots..however, TSA has not been too kind to this. Since 911 there has been lots of or rules governing this and finally my company got fed up and stopped the process that they were doing for thisone particular pilot.

Even if this pilots was allowed a visa to work here from the sponsor, the USPS, UPS requires that the pilot be a resident of the US for at least 5 years. Sorry to say we did lose a good pilot over this and prevented another to be sponsered.

I cant speak for the other companies but TSA has the final word..it seems like..

Good Luck..

[fernytickles]

We moved here in 2001, I had at that point 5000+ hours. I had a job offer from a local charter company but getting a visa was not possible. It eventually had to come through my husband's greencard (also known as the resident alien card). That took nearly 4 years, and he was sponsored for the H1 visa in the meantime, hence us being here.

I'm sorry to be such a doom and gloom but the chances of getting a company to sponsor you for a flying job are very small. You might have more luck trying the greencard lottery, if Australians are eligible for it. Or look at Canada instead. Friends (who, ironically, are moving to Australia next month) had looked at Canada as an option, and with no family connections which could be used, it was going to be about a 4 year process, with his work being in accounting, not aviation.

Good luck! Moving countries using aviation as your profession is not an easy process.....

[Rubis]

Hey, As one of Bush's boys (I didn't vote for him), can I go to Aussie land and fly commercially?

I've flown with lots of great OZ pilots in the States, but yet to hear of Yanks in OZ flying commercially.

[BelArgUSA]

Hola Rubis -
xxx
Do you remember the big Continental strike against Lorenzo (1982)...?
Well, these were ALPA, and many resigned CAL...
Good boys, these ALPA members...
xxx
But interesting detail -
Just a few months after the "Lorenzo" strike, Qantas in Australia had a big strike too (OZ Mates, help me for the details) - This was the start of the exodus of Aussies to the Asian carriers, such as Singapore, Cathay, Malaysian etc...
Did you know that many of the CAL boys (good ALPA members) went to work for Qantas...? They striked against "scabs" and Lorenzo boys in the USA, but they did not fail to be "scabs" theirselves in Sydney...
xxx
No need to say that Yanks were loved by Aussie pilots back then...
xxx
:)
Happy contrails

[ChicagoHeights]

just promise to leave the vegmite at home