Sqwak
I generally agree with about 99% of your posts, but on this one you are off the mark.
Prior to on-shoring the bases the basings office did not oversee whether individuals had the right to live and work where they were going to be based. This included
ANY CX base, so to single out the US base as being different than the others is wrong. All you had to do is sign a letter confirming that it was your responsibility to comply with any immigration requirements in your choice of residence. This was no different than if you were in the past to bid for an Australian base.
I could be wrong, but theoretically nothing stopped a Canadian, American, or European individual from bidding an Australian base in the past and commuting to a place outside of Australia. Obviously no one was stupid enough to do this so it was never an issue. You seem to forget that we had several Captains based in the UK, but living in France which eventually brought about, not immigration problems, but taxation problems.
Unlike Australia/New Zealand, or the European states, North America can be considered unique within the basing circle because there is obviously no unrestricted cross border travel, which is bound to produce certain problems. My opinion and best suited for a different forum, but the US is alienating itself from the rest of the world and only a matter of time before that country implodes within itself.
What Cathay has been doing is illegal. If it wasn't, then we would continue to do the same thing without needing to change anything.
They would have if it wasn't for on-shoring. You also seem to forget that times have changed, requirements have also changed. Obviously Cathay is changing with the times and on-shoring seems to be a necessity nowadays, but how can you say that what Cathay was doing was illegal?
Also, these guys weren't living in the US, weren't working for a US registered company, so what taxes are going to be owed?