I have to agree with the sceptics, particularly with Gipsy. I don't wish to seem xenophobic (indeed, one of my parents and my wife are immigrants), but there is certainly a disparity between how willing the UK is to accept foreign crew, and how willing other nations are to accept Brits. Look at Iberia or AF; how many Brits there? And I can't agree more that it's time to stop Commonwealth people working here, after all, we wouldn't be allowed to sweep streets in Aus or NZ.
To my knowledge, easyJet are looking for 400 pilots this year. I suspect Ryanair need a similar number, though many of theirs will be contract pilots. Both would appear to have a preference for non-rated applicants, as these can be bonded, charged for their trg (run at considerable profit) and paid reduced salaries for their lesser experience. It also helps the demographics within the company, so not everyone is screaming for a promotion at once.
I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I just don't feel that optimistic about a soon to arrive improvement in our conditions.