Visa for an Airline Pilot

[mischo1990 0]

Hello everybody,

I am a commercial pilot working in Europe and would like to relocate to the US as there is a shortage of pilots however every website Has a requieement to legaly live and work in the US. What Visa type would cover this issue and what would be the procedure of getting this type od Visa. 

Appretiate the help :)

[Mike E 11,739]

42 minutes ago, mischo1990 said:

Hello everybody,

I am a commercial pilot working in Europe and would like to relocate to the US as there is a shortage of pilots however every website Has a requieement to legaly live and work in the US. What Visa type would cover this issue and what would be the procedure of getting this type od Visa. 

Appretiate the help

I suspect there is only a shortage of people willing to work at the wages airlines want to pay, not a shortage of pilots.  Anyway, the airline has to be willing to sponsor your work visa or work-based green card.  
 

I suggest you try cargo airlines: UPS and FedEx have foreign crew bases and so you would be able pilot flights between the US and non US and between non US and non US. 
 

None of the US passenger airlines have foreign pilot crew bases (though sone have foreign flight attendant crew bases). 
 

This thread on airliners dot net might be of interest:  

 

https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1365367

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by Mike E

[mischo1990 0]

17 minutes ago, Mike E said:

I suspect there is only a shortage of people willing to work at the wages airlines want to pay, not a shortage of pilots.  Anyway, the airline has to be willing to sponsor your work visa or work-based green card.  
 

I suggest you try cargo airlines: UPS and FedEx have foreign crew bases and so you would be able pilot flights between the US and non US and between non US and non US. 
 

None of the US passenger airlines have foreign pilot crew bases (though sone have foreign flight attendant crew bases). 
 

This thread on airliners dot net might be of interest:  

 

https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1365367

 

Thank you for the fast reaction. I am in the DV Green card lottery for a couple of years till now with no luck. I guess companies like FedEx and UPS are major companies in the US and will not be willing to spend their time on one person wanting to move to the US and fly for them. So I guess that's a NO GO. I wrote to a Cargo company in Mitchigan hope they would at least respond to my email.however my plan was to get a work permit a later on possibly apply for a Green card to be a permanent resident.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

Pilots are tricky because they don’t slot easily into any of the existing work visa categories. So visa sponsorship is hard both to do and to come by. 

[Mike E 11,739]

4 hours ago, mischo1990 said:

. I guess companies like FedEx and UPS are major companies in the US and will not be willing to spend their time on one person wanting to move to the US and fly for them. So I guess that's a NO GO.

Given FedEx and UPS have foreign crew bases (as I wrote) I think the playbook would be to

 

* get hired to fly out of a foreign crew base. 
 

* Log your years,

 

* then look at a transfer to a US crew base via an L1 visa.  

[jskibo 588]

UPS, FedEx, Atlas etc are all Union represented. Highly unlikely you’re going to slide into a role with them.  
 

you stated you’re a commercial pilot, do you hold an FAA ATP rating?  Total hours? What Type ratings?

 

there’s not a shortage at the well paying position at the major carriers or cargo majors to include Kalitta (assuming that’s the Michigan operator you inquired to). The shortages are at regionals where the pay and QOL is less desirable. You’ll still need your ATP there as well. 

Edited July 16, 2021 by jskibo

[mischo1990 0]

I figured that Unions are going to play a role in this situation. I have a CAA ATPL license i have 2000hrs on the Boeing type but i guess there is a chance of conversion to FAA. Hope the Green Card lottery will work this year. Would help a lot. 

[SalishSea 17,832]

2 hours ago, mischo1990 said:

I figured that Unions are going to play a role in this situation. I have a CAA ATPL license i have 2000hrs on the Boeing type but i guess there is a chance of conversion to FAA. Hope the Green Card lottery will work this year. Would help a lot. 

I doubt very much any US airlines would have the need (or inclination) to petition a foreign pilot.  They are only just now recovering from the COVID furloughs and leaves of absence.