Regionals Hiring "Foreign Nationals?"
 

Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that I refuse to name names, even the name of the regional that this is supposedly happening at.

I recently spoke with a buddy of mine who works in the training department of a regional. Apparently, they're so desperate to fill new-hire classes that the majority of the class going through indoc right now is made up of "foreign nationals." Is there anyone here, either on the line or in the training department of any regional who can confirm this? Or is this just the newest from the rumor mill?

We all know what's next if this is true.

Mods, feel free to move this if you think it belongs in another thread

Do the foreign nationals have the correct paperwork (ie green card)? If so, I don't see a problem with that, but if they are sponsoring H1 visas, then I have a issues.

No idea. Didn't get any other info beside the fact that the regional is paying for them to get their mins, and apparently suspending their pay on the line til it's paid off. No clue about the paperwork

Please say where this is.

I believe it. Its happened before, a certain regional (2nd-3rd tier level) offered to bring people on board and process their greencard for them "later on". The event Im really familiar with happened in July 2007, at a PanAm facility in Miami during a job fair.

If you can't name names, it's kinda hard to spark a genuine protest. I don't think it would make much sense for the company to pay to get these guy's to minimums(1500hrs) and then watch them exit stage left to return to their country of origin. That being said, I'm sure their minimums are much less then ours. Who knows.

This has already happened in the maritime industry years ago... the regionals are the camels nose... ready to stick it all the way up to the majors.....

So quit thinking ALPA should't represent the regionals.... the real issue is pay... pay well enough and there will be plenty of American kids willing to fly jets....

Same with the doctor cadre in the US... ever wonder why the names read like a phone book from Mumbai to Kolkata to Seoul? Asians are great at compliance. (sorry asians)... And that is the kind of doctors the health insurance and drug companies want....

There is a reason why Airbus and Boeing jets aren't that hard to fly.... nations want their own people to fly their jets... but Wall St. wants those people to fly our jets too....

The plan, on the books for decades, is to keep wages low and erode PIC authority.... it's a complex battle that many of you don't even know exist.....

I know of a handful of foreign airlines hiring American pilots. You have a problem with that too?

Doesn't sound plausible to me. I can't see any regional that would go through the trouble of helping someone get a work visa. Plus, where is this foreign country with a larger pilot pool than the US? I've heard that foreign carriers have desperately tried to recruit US pilots but the other way around is unheard of.

I agree with the above. The hassle for a regional is tremendous. The process is somewhat lengthy and costly, and the candidate wouldn't even be able to start class until the green card is out, due to TSA's security procedures in regards to training non-us citizens on aircraft of more than 12,500lbs.