usa working permits
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usa working permits
dear readers:
after spending lots of time and over $5000 on trying to get a us work permit, green card, or other ways to be legal in the states, i am now trying this forum.
i need advice from pilots (rotor and fixed) who have achieved getting a permit without marrying somebody, had a kid that was born on us soil, or parents from that same turf. i have been offered plenty of jobs in the states, but i have to turn them down.
how can you obtain a permit, even using attorneys, the best way? any attorneys worth contacting?
write me an email, post it here, call me.... do i sound desperate???
tigerpic
after spending lots of time and over $5000 on trying to get a us work permit, green card, or other ways to be legal in the states, i am now trying this forum.
i need advice from pilots (rotor and fixed) who have achieved getting a permit without marrying somebody, had a kid that was born on us soil, or parents from that same turf. i have been offered plenty of jobs in the states, but i have to turn them down.
how can you obtain a permit, even using attorneys, the best way? any attorneys worth contacting?
write me an email, post it here, call me.... do i sound desperate???
tigerpic
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Yo Tigerpic...I'm wondering myself the same question and fine a reward of €5000,- for the one who's able to put me in the right seat of any sewing machine...I'm starting ab initio next september at Delta. I hope they put me in the instructormode after 1 year. I predict the market will turn around within 2 years, but I'm afraid that on that time I do need to leave the US (J1 visa...)So if you have any suggestions in the meantime..Let me know!
Good luck!
Good luck!
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Well there are no easy answers to this one! Firstly contrary to popular belief even if you are born on US soil you DO NOT automatically get a green card.
there are basically two classes of visas that apply here immigrant and non immigrant
Non immigrant include the M1 F1 J1 etc...
these allow you to study and work in the usa within certain constraints for limited periods after which unless you employ a very good lawyer you need to leave.(and before you inundate me with posts saying you can't work on an H1 yes you can if it is essential to the course you can be paid but you need to keep INS informed!)
Immigrant visas which i guess you are more interested include H1 L1 etc I think your best bet is the H1b which is a graduate or professional visa this allows you to work in the usa for 3 yrs renewable for another 3. It is predominantly aimed at graduates and proffesionals where there is a skills shortage (that might be a bit difficult but not impossible to convince ins of!) If you have a degree that covered any aspect of aviation and you can find an employer to sponser you for the visa you should be ok. No degree then you will need a minimum of three years commercial expierience and again a sponsor. at this point you need a lawyer and about $1500 or so and you may get lucky! It will not be that easy to get a visa in aviation at the moment as the market as it is in europe is pretty soft but by no means impossible. Another thing to remeber is that INS make decisions on individual cases at local levels what works in one place may not work in others if your in the USA at the time your visa is issued it's completely different to being in the uk and applying from here! a good lawyer will set you straight on this. You can go the whole hog and apply for green card but you will need a patient and understanding employer to jump through firery hoops for you to get it!
Marry an american is a sure fire way of getting in but you then need to stay married or you risk loosing your visa! hope this helps good luck
there are basically two classes of visas that apply here immigrant and non immigrant
Non immigrant include the M1 F1 J1 etc...
these allow you to study and work in the usa within certain constraints for limited periods after which unless you employ a very good lawyer you need to leave.(and before you inundate me with posts saying you can't work on an H1 yes you can if it is essential to the course you can be paid but you need to keep INS informed!)
Immigrant visas which i guess you are more interested include H1 L1 etc I think your best bet is the H1b which is a graduate or professional visa this allows you to work in the usa for 3 yrs renewable for another 3. It is predominantly aimed at graduates and proffesionals where there is a skills shortage (that might be a bit difficult but not impossible to convince ins of!) If you have a degree that covered any aspect of aviation and you can find an employer to sponser you for the visa you should be ok. No degree then you will need a minimum of three years commercial expierience and again a sponsor. at this point you need a lawyer and about $1500 or so and you may get lucky! It will not be that easy to get a visa in aviation at the moment as the market as it is in europe is pretty soft but by no means impossible. Another thing to remeber is that INS make decisions on individual cases at local levels what works in one place may not work in others if your in the USA at the time your visa is issued it's completely different to being in the uk and applying from here! a good lawyer will set you straight on this. You can go the whole hog and apply for green card but you will need a patient and understanding employer to jump through firery hoops for you to get it!
Marry an american is a sure fire way of getting in but you then need to stay married or you risk loosing your visa! hope this helps good luck
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In point of fact dodo-bird, even marrying a U.S. citizen post 9-11 is not a guaranteed means of achieving resididency/work status. I know of an individual recently denied permanent residency status (including unrestricted work authorisation) on the grounds of the spose (U.S. citizen) not being resident in the U.S. for a proportion of the year, whilst working for a foriegn carrier based outside of the U.S. Also, INS are reluctant to issue even conditional work authorisations to non-citizens for employment which can be carried out by citizens etc.
DAPSTER; Can Delta (presumably COMAIR Academy) provide you with comparable JAA qualifications in the event you are unable to secure a work authorisation beyond your visa? Worth asking I think?
I am a 'foreigner' married to a U.S. citizen with a U.S. born child & have found the system to be expensive, complicated & far more long winded than was suggested to me. I am experienced yet doubt that I will be able to find employment with a U.S. carrier for the forseeable future unless I apply for citizenship (which is my intent when eligible). One can only speculate at the condition of the market this far in advance, yet the bills still have to be paid.
DAPSTER; Can Delta (presumably COMAIR Academy) provide you with comparable JAA qualifications in the event you are unable to secure a work authorisation beyond your visa? Worth asking I think?
I am a 'foreigner' married to a U.S. citizen with a U.S. born child & have found the system to be expensive, complicated & far more long winded than was suggested to me. I am experienced yet doubt that I will be able to find employment with a U.S. carrier for the forseeable future unless I apply for citizenship (which is my intent when eligible). One can only speculate at the condition of the market this far in advance, yet the bills still have to be paid.
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Quick correction -- being born on US soil does entitle you to US citizenship.. hence green card is "N/A"
However, contrary to popular belief, having a child born in the US does NOT entitle parents to green card/citizenship.. in other words, it's inconsequential to the parent (at least, until the child is of age 18 when s/he can sponsor parents to become US residents)...
However, contrary to popular belief, having a child born in the US does NOT entitle parents to green card/citizenship.. in other words, it's inconsequential to the parent (at least, until the child is of age 18 when s/he can sponsor parents to become US residents)...
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MAJIC9 - true regarding a birth on U.S. soil however, it would certainly benefit the parent(s) regarding facilitation of an immigrant visa if non-U.S. citizens themselves (burden on the child etc. if unable to stay in the U.S. with the parents).
Is the sponsorship of parents still possible ? I thought the rules had changed recently ?
Is the sponsorship of parents still possible ? I thought the rules had changed recently ?
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Unless you win the lottery, so to speak, it can't be done. There are many pilots looking for work here--not likely INS is going to welcome another one. Search PPrune for more anecdotes.
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Food for thought
Even with a green card, FAA ATP, B737 type rating (700 hours on type with BA franchise), 3400 TT (mostly turbine PIC) its incredibly difficult to find work as a pilot here. Airline employment is next to impossible right now. The message to me is clear, unless you are a citizen, forget it for now. My wife and I are green card holders. Our 4 month old was born in the USA and is a citizen.
Even if you have a green card, flying jobs WILL be given to citizens first. This is understandable when you look at the number of unemployed US pilots. It is frustrating though, as I can attest to.
Perhaps green card holders may find gainful employment as pilots, but it is highly unlikely right now. Those green card holders who do have jobs have told me that they believe that if they tried to change jobs right now, they would not be able to find another flying related job.
In my case, I have been here a year, but in the interests of career and finances have opted to accept employment with an airline based outside of the USA. My family and I will call the USA home, but I will have to commute overseas to work.
I am not trying to sound negative, but this is the reality of the situation and is worthy of serious consideration before spending money on immigration lawyers etc.
Even if you have a green card, flying jobs WILL be given to citizens first. This is understandable when you look at the number of unemployed US pilots. It is frustrating though, as I can attest to.
Perhaps green card holders may find gainful employment as pilots, but it is highly unlikely right now. Those green card holders who do have jobs have told me that they believe that if they tried to change jobs right now, they would not be able to find another flying related job.
In my case, I have been here a year, but in the interests of career and finances have opted to accept employment with an airline based outside of the USA. My family and I will call the USA home, but I will have to commute overseas to work.
I am not trying to sound negative, but this is the reality of the situation and is worthy of serious consideration before spending money on immigration lawyers etc.
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togabutton,
i do understand that you are sceptic about job opportunities in the airliners. but, i fly helicopters, so i stand a much better chance of getting hired. the last couple of years i have received four direct job offers, and i have seen multiple offers being put out on the internet job pages.
one time i did apply for the h-1b visa, but my future employer was not authorized to hire foreign "helicopter pilots", my guess being that it was a too general job description since we do a much more wider variety of jobs than fixedwing pilots. you don't see a charter helicopter pilot jump right into a long line sling job straight away. that type of job requires lots of experience to master, and those pilots are hard to get. look at the helicopter ems operators. they are screaming for qualified captains.
i have all the paper work i used to apply for that work visa, still, in case opportunity knocks and that i find a lawyer who might be just more than a paper pusher.
i do understand that you are sceptic about job opportunities in the airliners. but, i fly helicopters, so i stand a much better chance of getting hired. the last couple of years i have received four direct job offers, and i have seen multiple offers being put out on the internet job pages.
one time i did apply for the h-1b visa, but my future employer was not authorized to hire foreign "helicopter pilots", my guess being that it was a too general job description since we do a much more wider variety of jobs than fixedwing pilots. you don't see a charter helicopter pilot jump right into a long line sling job straight away. that type of job requires lots of experience to master, and those pilots are hard to get. look at the helicopter ems operators. they are screaming for qualified captains.
i have all the paper work i used to apply for that work visa, still, in case opportunity knocks and that i find a lawyer who might be just more than a paper pusher.
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WASTING TIME
I'm sorry to report that if you are looking for a job in the USA. You should probably think twice about it. There are approx. 10,000 unemployed or furloughed pilots like myself with more than 5-15,000 hours of heavy jet time. The job prospects here are worse than anywhere else since 9-11. Everyone here is applying for jobs overseas. Good luck.
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there should be an 11th command, "thou shall never give up".
a friend of mine flies for a major airliner in the states, and he is quite worried. lucky to keep his job, still.
a friend of mine flies for a major airliner in the states, and he is quite worried. lucky to keep his job, still.
