TizerTheAppetizer:
For example, would you go and live in China or the ME if that's the only place you could get an FO job?
I don't know about the other airlines in Asia and ME, but in mine in China basically 90% of the experienced ("foreigner") captains don't pass either the screening, either the CAAC sim check, either the medical. And that was for the pilots already "experienced captains".
That's not only a matter of "will you go and live in China", but a matter of "would they hire me" aswell: don't have the illusion this is automatic and only depends on you.