The argument as it did with Skywest will come down to type ratings. If you have 5000 hours and check and training approvals on a ATR not a Dash 8 QLink will argue you are not suitable as you don't have Dash 8 time.
The companies are getting around the experience levels by viewing flight time in isolation not as a whole.
Unless you have a good counter argument for the government I don't see how such things will be stopped.