Visa/Green Card for a new pilot?

[wanttoflyhawaii]

I live in Hawaii but I need a visa or green card to become a pilot and work until I retire. I am a Japanese citizen living in Hawaii for over 10 years and still I cannot work. I am 15 right now and I am seriously becoming a pilot for Aloha, Hawaiian, as well as Majors. If I am not able to get a work permit I would need to give up on flying which I do not want to do. How can I get a permanent work permit in aviation? Do I have to go throught Pay For Training (PFT) and beg for a sponsorship or find a flight school that would help me? Anyone help!

 

[Strikefinder]

I hate to tell you, but it's going to be a long road for you...

Most airlines won't sponsor. There's just too much hassle and too much other demand.

Even a green card isn't a ticket, necessarily. I know of a few green card holders with several thousand hours who can't get a job flying an RJ. They deserve to, far ahead of me, but the security hassle of hiring a foreign national has got the airlines in quite a tizzy right now.

And getting a green card is a pretty laborious process anyhow. I have one good friend with something along the lines of 7000 flight hours, but he can't get a green card. He's flying a Baron around for a freight company, and I don't think they are still sponsoring anybody after 9/11 other than those that were there originally.

I don't want to discourage you, but I wanted to be clear to you: aviation is a very difficult road, and being a foreigner, you face pretty difficult odds (not to mention the occasional idiot who thinks you don't belong here). If it's your dream, my heart tells you to stick with it, but I'd start doing a lot of research to find out what exactly it's going to take to accomplish your dreams.

Good luck and tailwinds to you.

 

[KnowledgeSeeker]

wanttoflyhawaii,

Some of my friends are at JAL, JALways but live here in hawaii. That could be a more realistic goal for you. Still getting to live your dream of working out of Hawaii, but not going through the hassle of getting a green card. Besides from what my friends say you are probably better off working for JAL then either Hawaiian or Aloha. The hardest part would be finding a stepping stone to get to JAL in Hawaii. Mabey working in Japan for a couple years if necessary. Then coming back...

 

[Flechas]

ONE WAY ONLY

the only solution for you is to get married to an AMERICAN woman, then you will be ok to do whatever you want. you are still young, so take your time and pick one you really like, so you dont do it only for your green card. best of luck.

el fle

 

[CRJ puppy]

Gee, why not become a citizen of the USA?

 

[FoxHunter]

What type of visa do you hold now to be living in the USA? Years ago I had a new hire S/O that was hired by Flying Tigers and the company didn't even know he was not a citizen. The application asked if he was a citizen or a legal resident. He correctly answered Yes. In his case he became a US citizen a few years later.

 

[wanttoflyhawaii]

I am here under E-1 visa. If I do get a green card but not a citizenship, would airlines still hire me? How do I become a US citizen without getting married?

 

[FoxHunter]

My suggestion would be to get that Green Card if possible. There are some drawbacks such as income tax, and potential military obligations. Would an airline hire you with just a green card? I believe it is the law that if you are a legal resident they must consider you just as a citizen. Now the question is will they comply with the law? I think this depends on supply and demand at the time you are looking for a job. There can be lots of other excuses not to hire you, you will never be given the reason, so trying to force the issue will be difficult at best. You always will have the option of citizenship and depending on Japan you may be able to hold both.

 

[Strikefinder]

Just in response to some of the responses...

I know on the surface, it seems easy to just "become a citizen". It is not. I have several friends who have applied repeatedly for green cards and/or citizenship, but their numbers haven't come up yet. They are all fine individuals, who deserve their job much more than I deserve my own. It is not as easy as filling out a piece of paper and writing a check, and it is also not as simple as loving the country or not, either. Foreigners who acquire citizenship are very fortunate people, and there are a lot more who are trying to achieve it than who are sucessful, and it's not an unreasonable question to ask if there's a way to get a job while the application process runs in the background (often for years).

That said, as others have done, I caution anyone against accepting PFT jobs in the name of building time, mostly for two reasons. One, it perpetuates a myth about foreign pilots selling out their breatheren, and two, it does not guarantee any future anywhere whatsoever. Quality flight time that was earned is always looked upon more positively, and you must remember that once you acquire your position, you need to sit next to someone who might be reluctant to believe you deserve to be there (after most people see me fly, this is the case ). I don't admire how difficult the road is for you, but we will all have that much respect for your dedication when you prevail.

 

[ALASKAN AVIATOR]

My suggestion is to get a job in your own damm country and quit trying to take ours!! There are enough Americans out of work!