Not entirely correct. Bristow Australia recent took on 2 pilots that had been selected in Australia some time ago (2 years?), for partial sponsorship of their commercial license, sent to the Bristow Academy in the US for training, where they were subsequently employed as instructors. Now that they have some hours, they are back in Australia and about to fly the line. I think the scheme is called 'SureTrack.'
My understanding of companies sponsoring foreign pilots is that it is only permissable when there is a shortage of qualified Australian candidates. I guess the question then is what constitutes "qualified."
P1