Foreign Pilots in the US
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Joined: Feb 2004
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 3,689
Likes: 118
From: USA
It seems the hiring atmosphere here has changed a bit. While there's still a good bit of hiring going on, it's not at the frantic pace it was a couple of years ago.
The LCCs have really slowed down and the regionals don't appear to be losing their captains at a high rate...and have a surplus of F/Os.
All this adds up to make it tougher for visa holders (non-green card).
You're probably familiar with the Aussie E3 visa. I'm not aware of who is currently hiring E3s. Atlas and National have in the past. I'm not sure what other visa categories they might take.
Spirit has taken some visa holders but I was not able to verify what visa. I think it was H1B or H1B1 ? But I think they've stopped hiring.
Breeze Airways has taken E3s in the past but I'm not aware of any other visa category.
Looking to APC for info might help.
https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: Rockville Ave. Greenville, Washington 27834
Answer
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 110
Likes: 0
From: In a house
It can take the best part of 2 years to get through visa & training / conversions. It's better to consider the entire market though, the broken pilot supply isn't fully fixed, but it isn't as bad as it was a year ago. Just yesterday there's 260 A320 pilots on the market who were furloughed from Spirit for example.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: In the Sky
Unless you already have a green card or are dialed into the Aussie E3 program, you are better off chasing unicorns.
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: houston
I have a friend that just got on at a US carrier. He got his green card through direct application as a pilot (Sorry I don't know details). There are a few colleagues here that are doing the same thing.
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 987
Likes: 197
From: Mexico City
Some airlines that hired people on the E3 and H1B are doing the green card applications after the people have been there a while.
Joined: May 2024
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 7
Likes: 3
From: Long Beach, CA
I think it is very hard to come to the US expecting to convert your license and find a flying job immediately. Depending on where you are coming from I'm sure. I came here and had to work as something else, I had to mostly take all my training over again. It took three years. If you accept this from the beginning, it's easier to accept. Of course, this is depending on where you are coming from. Some places are more convertible?
