This appeared in the latest ALPA magazine and concerns their feelings about H1B and E3 visas. I wouldn't let it deter me if I were contemplating a trip north as the wheels of the kakistocracy turn slowly if at all but here it is just FYI:
"In spring 2016, the Air Wisconsin Master Executive Council made ALPA’s Government Affairs Department aware that it had received notice that a Labor Condition Application (LCA) had been filed by Air Wisconsin to hire a foreign pilot through the H-1B Visa program. What began as a single LCA notice has grown into an increasingly concerning issue. ALPA has been working behind the scenes with its supporters on Capitol Hill to get more information and to let the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service and the Department of Labor (DOL) know that Congress is paying attention.
While the first LCA sought to hire a foreign pilot through the H-1B program,
the real concern has been the potential use of E-3 visas. The E-3 Visa program provides U.S. work visas to citizens from Australia.
In recent years, there has been a flood of E-3 visa applications to hire foreign pilots. A vast majority of the E-3 visa applications has been submitted by a carrier with non-ALPA-represented pilots. Some airlines with ALPA-represented pilots are increasing their use of the E-3 visa program as well.
It’s important to note that the number of LCAs filed is much greater than the actual number of Australian pilots hired using E-3 visas.
ALPA has expressed its opposition to the use of both visa programs on several grounds. Most importantly, they require that the occupation for which the foreign worker is being sought is defined as a “specialty occupation.” To qualify as a specialty occupation, an occupation must require at least a bachelor’s degree in the specific occupational specialty as a minimum for entry—and air carriers don’t require airline pilots to hold degrees in academic fields directly related to their employment.
While H-1B visas remain an important concern, the rapid growth of E-3 visas is particularly worrisome, both because of the magnitude and because E-3s lack some of the key labor protections applicable to H-1B visas. Among other things, H-1B employers must disclose whether they’re “H-1B dependent.” For large employers, this means that H-1B employees make up 15 percent or more of the workforce. If an employer is H-1B dependent, the employer must provide assurances that U.S. workers haven’t been displaced and that good-faith efforts have been made to recruit U.S. workers. Employers using the E-3 visa program don’t have to provide such assurances or demonstrate that good-faith efforts to recruit workers have been made.
ALPA has engaged the DOL on several occasions. Alexander Acosta, DOL secretary, and his staff have been thoroughly briefed on the issues and have expressed their willingness to help ensure that neither of the visa programs are misused. ALPA will continue to engage the DOL and work through other avenues as necessary to ensure that the E-3 visa process isn’t misused to hire foreign pilots to undercut the market for U.S. pilots."
https://www.alpa.org/news-and-events...019-hot-topics