rbaron:
They've been burned in the past by Canadians. Paid their permits, trained them, then they split after a couple of months when a better deal came up. The deals were made with a verble agreement and a hand shake. There is no reason for them to invest in work papers for an entry level ex-pat that probably won't stay around. They do provide training with out asking for anything in writing.
They use to get alot of qualified 208 pilots that had no objection or problem paying for their own papers, I'm sure it's the same now considering the current supply and demand climate.