Yeah, I agree with you, BritishGuy. Even thought there is a little bit of hiring going on, my friend at ATI had some good internal connections (of course, he was an awesome candidate too), but for the most part it is slim pickings and many highly qualified widebody crewmembers are on the street. Another friend applied to Allegiant during their last window, but no call.
And BigJoeRice brings up the other important issue.....Green Card/Citizenship takes time and coordination. It took me 3.5 years for the Green Card, a 5 year wait, then 1.5 years for the Citizenship.
Best of luck and congrats on the baby, zumzum!