Hi Flare and others,
If you have family already here in USA I hope it is Mom or Dad as they are the next best to a wife for getting you in. Otherwise if you are planning to be here in three years +/- you better start working on the process now. That is unless you plan on waltzing in and marrying the first woman that isn't hard on the eyes and says yes. Even with being married the provisional period is one year before you can have a work permit. The flying with the rotary companies would be a better option than airlines. I have a friend flying for PHI that has been in Saudi for the last 96 days. He is making good money while there. They have a compound where the Americans live and work. I can't say what it is like for the pilot of a helicopter but as the passenger and landing on a boat that is bobbing up and down in the ocean with a heliport just big enough for the aircraft was at times a bit uncomfortable. The worst was flying at 200ft off the deck in Hurricane Charlie being evacuated from the rig in torential rain and wind and praying the pilot, who had no radar, would be able to see a rig in our flight path. Plus the area around the rotor was leaking from the rain and there was about two inches of water rolling around on the floor. Scary.
The Oil Captain is for my being a captain of oil supply vessels. Flown on many PHI and Air Logistics Helicopters to get to work.