Just got my E3 and started working in America, best decision I made for flying.

I think you need 5000hrs of jet time if you want to apply for NIW.

No because you don't have a licence for single pilot operations. You'd need a standalone PPL.

Are you
 

Are you Assie?

hopefully you can work out a way to transition for the E3 to a green card.

Not true, EB2 NIW is not a pilot's visa, so no minimum hours requirement. You need 10 years of experience working in your field, whatever that might be.

There might be no minimum hour requirement but I'm sure they will expect an applicant to have significant flying experience. I don't think 2000 hours as an ATR FO will cut it.

You're not applying for a job, you're applying for an immigrant visa, the immigration officer who will handle your case is not a pilot/airline/aviation expert, they handle cases from people of all walks of life, they see cases from teachers, doctors, lawyers, scientists, etc. They don't know whether 200 or 20,000 hours is good enough.

They ask for specific requirements, one being at least 10 years of experience in your field, and a lot depends on how you frame your case. If you meet the 10 year requirement, chances are you have way over 2,000 hours.

If you apply for this visa, don't think as a pilot looking for a job, think as what you are, an immigrant looking for a work visa.

Hi All,

I'm going down this route apply for the EB2 NIW. 20 years plus flying experience.

I did speak with Harvey Law, but I don't think that the assistance is worth the $10,000 they want to charge. Im pretty sure it's possible to submit a great application yourself. I've been through all of the paperwork required and there is only one part I'm not 100% confident on. That's the bit where you prove that your profession is of national interest to the USA. I can put a great case together, but it's hard to know exactly what they are wanting to see.

Has anyone here or anyone know anyone that has submitted a successful application?

Do you perhaps have some pearls of wisdom you could please share on this part of the application? Happy to take a DM if you'd rather not broadcast it.

Rick,

Wish I had some wisdom to offer but I don't. This whole visa thing is just sorcery and dark arts to me.

But I do have idle curiosity that generated a question: with 20 years flying experience in NZ, what would be your target flying position here in the USA ?

Good luck in your quest. Let us know how it went.

Hi Rick

you have to make the case that when you move to the USA what you have to offer as an aviator will benefit the greater good of the US and not just benefit the company you might work for.
It’s a difficult argument to make and takes a lot of thought to frame your argument.

Somewhere where they've got cowboy boots, cowboy hats and one of those trucks with the dualies that can spit fire.

In reality however, I'd look at anything, but preferably wide body or structured corporate jet operator.

Just gotta take a look at the pay rates, exchange rates and compare that to here.

Cheers

I’m not a lawyer, but I’ll give it a shot.

1. There is currently a shortage of qualified pilots in the U.S. aviation industry. The shortage of well qualified, experienced pilots required by the U.S aviation industry is even greater and increasing. Demand for qualified pilots exceeds supply. You are a well qualified pilot.

2. U.S. government policy is focused on reducing inflation. The Federal Reserve has identified higher wage growth as an inflationary factor. The current high wage growth within U.S aviation is directly attributable (in part) to the lack of qualified pilots and high demand. This wage growth negatively affects inflation.

3. The cost of flying has increased for the U.S. population. Ticket prices have risen. The inflation of ticket prices is fueled by high demand and low supply. The airline industry is able to raise prices due to high demand. This inflation is at odds with U.S. economic policy and the Federal Reserves stated goals. Airlines and U.S aviation in general have been unable to satisfy demand due to the low supply of qualified pilots. You are a qualified pilot.

You are a tiny cog in the giant solution to the pilot shortage, inflation and the U.S. economy ; )





[personally; I’m a big fan of the pilot shortage and high wage growth]

Hi everyone.I thought I'd share my experience of the EB2-NIW process for others thinking about it. ​​​​


First, I'll list my qualifications and experience. I'm a captain in Europe flying the 737 since 2008. I've been an instructor on the 737 since 2016 (2,500 hours). I have over 11,000 total hours and over 7,000 as PIC. Furthermore, I also have a four-year degree. ​​​​​​


I started the process with Jose Leon in Jacksonville (legalleon.com) in late May '22. Jose and his team were very helpful and all communication was (and is) very prompt and clear. A pilot himself, he recognized the experience I have and knew how to translate that experience into a relevant format, and into layman's terms, for USCIS case officers looking to see if I fulfilled the three-prong test. He worked with other lawyers and consultants to tailor my case as best as possible for the highest chances of approval. ​​​​​​


After much work and preparation, my case was filed in September '22. Just a few weeks later, it was approved by USCIS. I'm currently going through consular processing and should have my green card soon. ​​​​​​


i wouldn't hesitate to recommend Jose and his team if anyone is thinking about going this route. He is the best I've encountered, a pure professional. ​​



legalleon.com

Thanks for all the replies here.

737Pilotguy what was the cost of legalleon? Others seem to be in the realm of $10k USD

What people need is an example Petition Letter, this seems to be what your case lives or dies by. The rest is pretty straight forward in terms of the petition itself if you're going to compile it on your own.

One way to look at the cost of a lawyer is as an investement, but its also an investment in something which is still fairly new.

I spoke with a law firm yesterday. 485 applications submitted for EB2NIW, 80 returned and 50 or so approved first time up. That's enticing and with the building backlog it could be easiest to just jump in an invest the money rather than self petitioning.

737pilotguy,

Interesting info about your visa experience.

What would be your target job here in the USA ? I assume you understand how the seniority system works here ? Despite your excellent qualifications, you'd start as a junior F/O no matter where you got hired; that doesn't suit everyone who might have come from a different system.

And the cases of rapid upgrade at the legacy carriers here, while remarkable, might turn out to be ephemeral at best when the economy takes its inevitable downturn.

In any event good luck.

​​​​​​​Price was around $10k, yes. I wouldn't do myself this without the help of a qualified professional. Not when considering the possible career and potential earnings at a US major if successful... ​​​​​​​My target job would be one of the legacies, in the right seat yes. However, I don't know if you understand the European system over here? The highest possible salary as a line captain is around EUR 150k ($162k), and that's flying the 900 hour yearly limit. Any hopes for a higher salary and you need to take on a training position (which is still underpaid). Regarding the inevitable downturn for the next thing coming, most European pilots got majorly screwed during covid which has pushed so many past their limit. Job security isn't any better over here.

737pilotguy,

With a green card, you'd certainly be a candidate for a US legacy.

Hi Bafanguy

My Green Card is also approved and I’m trying to work out my next step. I’m currently an A320 captain 12k+ hours all jet some command hours also in corporate business jets. However I’m also 51 years old and wondering if I should go for left seat in a decent 135 operation or go right seat at a legacy. Are there many 50 year olds who join a legacy ? Would you have any advice ?

right seat legacy. Seniority list movement is crazy right now.

I’m in one of those unicorn part 91 gigs and love it, but they’re few and far between.

My motivation for moving to the US is I love the great outdoors there especially in the western states. I want to go hiking, camping and skiing and need a decent job with good time off to support that.
I was looking at Las Vegas, Summerlin as a decent place to set up home. So I need to find a company that has LAS as a junior base, so I can avoid commuting and all that hassle. Is that a reasonable expectation or should I expect to have to commute at any major you join?

That's the goal. I've got enough years left to make it worthwhile.

Ecam321,

I'm not an expert on recruiting but have certainly heard of 50 y/o people getting hired at legacy/LCC carriers. I don't know what percentage of new hires that might be but it does happen.

I'd advise you to apply to everyone you might even be remotely interested in and see what your options are. I'm not sure a Part 135 operation would give you the time off/schedule flexibility you want. From what I've heard, I think those pilots work pretty hard.

As for bases, Google "airline pilot domicile map" and see who might have a KLAS base.

Good luck.

[QUOTE=bafanguy;11370175]Ecam321,

I'm not an expert on recruiting but have certainly heard of 50 y/o people getting hired at legacy/LCC carriers. I don't know what percentage of new hires that might be but it does happen.

I'd advise you to apply to everyone you might even be remotely interested in and see what your options are. I'm not sure a Part 135 operation would give you the time off/schedule flexibility you want. From what I've heard, I think those pilots work pretty hard.

As for bases, Google "airline pilot domicile map" and see who might have a KLAS base.

Thanks Bafanguy

It looks like Frontier have KLAS as a Junior base. But also there are some decent 135 operators in LAS offering a good salary with a 13/17 schedule . Your advice is heeded, I will apply everywhere and see what bites.

hi i am 39 years old military pilot from Pakistan. I have more than 17years of flying experience and 5400 flying hrs. I have flown number of multi-engine transport category aircraft. I have 3200 hrs as pilot in command . I am instructor on CN-235 and beech craft king air 350i which is equipped with pro line fusion avionics. I have flown C-130 Hercules, CN-235 Casa, Y-9 Chinese aircraft and King air 350i. I have recently done my initial pilot conversion of king air 350i in Tampa,Florida. Because of proficient performance, I was awarded pro-card on initial sim training of King air 350i. I have also obtained TSA approval from Department of defense. I don’t have ICAO ATPL yet but, i have all the military flying certificates. I have done bachelors (BS) in Aero sciences and Masters in war Studies. With this experience, Can i go for attempt to apply for green card through EB-2 NIW visa. Request your guidance.
Thanks

Ecam321
There’s a lot of guys getting hired at Legacies 50+ years old. No problem at all. I’m one of them. With your time left until retirement you should aim for a Legacy job. Spirit also has a LAS base and great quality of life. For Legacies, United just opened a base there that also went junior both seats. But you would have to fly the 737 though. From what I’m hearing the commute from LAS to LAX is also doable if you get hired somewhere else and want to stay in LAS. Best of luck.

Contact this law firm. https://dunnlaw.com/
They will give you the guidance you need. They are very upfront and won’t take your money if they think you don’t have a chance of success.

thanks for your info i will contact them

​​​​​​​I'll recommend Jose Leon at legalleon.com again. He's been absolutely great with me.

Allegiant is headquartered in Vegas and has a base there. It’s a senior base but is easy to get out of training. You’ll be stuck at the bottom though.

And I’m hearing Allegiant are in dire straights financially and looking for a merger.

thanks pilotguy for your valuable info

EB2 NIW
 

I would like to highly recommend the Jose Leon Firm as Lawyers in getting my case approved! I am a Venezuelan pilot with more than 10 K flight hours between DC9 MD90 Sabreliner and Westwind, I certify the high professional level and your work team! I highly recommend it! I presented my case on July 2022 and in January 2023 it was Approved! successes to the firm legalleon.com, do not hesitate to contact this prestigious team .

Legalleon.com

Quite amusing to see accounts with Jan 2023 join date who can't stop recommending Jose Leon Lawyer...

No wonder why. It's actually quite obvious, quote from the Leon Law website: "Leon Law firm has a 100% approval rate in applying for National Interest Waivers (NIW) for experienced pilots seeking positions as commercial airline pilots in the United States."

LOL!

scam
 

Yeah, I saw that too and was pretty sure those posts were not legit. Let's save this thread for actual experiences with green cards and NIW.

Hi Kahn,

You definitely have a competitive background for an EB2-NIW. In fact, your background fits the profile that many US airlines look for. With that said, the standard for the National Interest Waiver looks for exceptional ability in your country of origin. ​​​​​​Exceptional ability is defined as a person with “a degree of expertise significantly above that ordinarily encountered” in their particular profession or field of expertise. The key is to show that you are “no ordinary pilot”. After 17 years of aviation military service in Pakistan, as compared to other Pakistani pilots, you should be able to obtain substantial evidence to substantiate your petition.

Good luck with your application.

Jose Leon

What exactly is the scam? I DM'd you my phone and will be happy to talk, facetime, Zoom, or meet in person in my office. You may also search my name in the Florida BAR website.

Hi everyone, British A320 FO here, 2500hrs, 27yo. No green card etc and UK CAA licence - but very keen to explore options in the states. Would I have a shot at a legacy at my age/experience or would I need to be looking at a regional first, or similar? If i did move out, would the career progress be fairly fast due to retirements/expansion? And how are pilots like me received/perceived in the states? (ie, got an A320 job straight out of integrated ATPL training, didn't do the hour building/PIC route that is common in the states as it's not how it's done over here?)

Thanks!

Busdriver01,

How would you get the legal ability to live/work in the USA ? That's the critical factor; everything else is just details. I haven't heard of a visa arrangement (like the Aussie E3) that would help you as a Brit but I'm not a subject matter expert by any measure.

Your brief statement of qualifications would seem to indicate you're OK for regionals and maybe even an LCC (heck, maybe even a legacy). Getting an FAA license is an expensive process...unless you can get a regional to pay for it.

The current hiring/upgrade frenzy will certainly come to a halt for any number of reasons so don't count on it as a permanent situation...but that's another subject.

Since contacting airline HR people is so easy these days, I'd email every single one of the regionals and LCCs (contact Spirit for sure) to explain your situation. See what they say or suggest. Or if you're a glutton for punishment, fill out apps to all of them...and email their HR people.

In any event, good luck and let us know what you discover.

To my knowledge there is no sponsorship available by any US airline, no matter how desperate or short of pilots they currently are or if its a bottom end regional or high end major. Your experience would of course be recognised but only with the right to work. Without sponsorship or qualifying for a E3 the options are extremely limited, your then down to qualifying only by family/marriage. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but spending hours applying for airlines in the US will ultimately be a waste of time as you will constantly have to answer the same question on the application and even be asked again by the HR. Do you have legal authorization to work in the US without sponsorship?

If the answer to that question is a no, then it is no bueno I am afraid. Go and set the tinder passport to Miami….