Originally Posted by
Icarus2001
Qantas link are not in a position to give anyone citizenship, that would be the Australian Government. Now I have not checked the fine print but usually at the end of the visa period the person has to leave, not always as they can apply for
PR. Again that is not citizenship.
The other point is how many do they really think they can get? The US is desperate for pilots and pay is increasing quickly. Maybe a few Europeans who want to try living in a warmer country and no doubt a handful of South Africans happy to GTFO. I believe that Australian airlines are kidding themselves if they think that there is a huge pool of pilots overseas who are just waiting for the chance to move to a now quite expensive Australia. We shall see.
We do not have "locked" or "frozen" ATPL in Australia.
That is the whole purpose of a 4 year 457 Visa. 4 years on the 457 plus a 1 year “Bridging Visa” gives you 5 years in country. You are now eligible for Permanent Residency.
You may underestimate the value many many foreigners place on Australian
PR. Whilst most were not interested in a 2 year stint before returning home, there is no shortage queuing up for
PR.