This little Squabble has been going on as long as PPrune.
I sympathize with those who have to go through training in the UK, Its ridiculously expensive and the written portion appears to be well above and beyond anything that you may need in an entire career. (Im sure I will take flak for that).
One of the companies I work for here in the states runs through a lot of non-US Pilots. It works for them and its cheap labor. Individual comes over from Europe on a VISA and after training somewhere, they have some time legally to gain some experience on turbines. Company hires them cheap and they burn up thier Visa, going home to Europe with a few hundred hours in the A-Star and or the EC.
Good for them, not good for those in the US who are starting off, but Helicopter Pilots are known for working cheap.