The commercial and business aviation industry in the U.S. is in crisis, with an unprecedented shortage of pilots creating demand that far outstrips the supply of commercial and business pilots available. While this is bad news for travelers, it is great news for pilots who are seeking a Green Card in the U.S. 

In the U.S., Green Cards are available to pilots who can demonstrate that they have:

Those with extraordinary ability (#1 above) can self-petition, and do not need to show that there is no U.S. worker available to otherwise fill the petition. While normally, pilots qualifying under #2, #3 or #4 above would need to have a U.S. sponsor for the Green Card and go through a labor certification process to demonstrate there is no U.S. worker able and available to fill the job, pilots have a unique opportunity to potentially skip this labor certification process and apply for a Green Card without a U.S. sponsor right now, since their expertise is desperately needed in the U.S. 

As one example, I recently obtained an immigrant visa (the first and most difficult step in the Green Card process) for a pilot who has been flying for commercial, business and private clients for many years. By proving that he has exceptional ability in his field and that his work meets the requirements to show that it is in the national interest of the U.S. (based on case law, precedent and current policy), we obtained an approval for his immigrant visa in record time. Instead of having to wait the normal up to two years for approval of this first step in the Green Card process, we obtained approval in approximately five months. While this was pending, I also applied for a nonimmigrant visa for him, so he can continue to take on U.S. clients and work independently for U.S. commercial airlines and businesses while we await the final processing of his Green Card” changed to “While this was pending, we also helped him to successfully apply for a nonimmigrant visa, so he can continue to take on U.S. clients and work independently for U.S. commercial airlines and businesses while he awaits the final processing of his Green Card. 

If you are interested in spending more time in the U.S., obtaining work authorization to provide your piloting services in the U.S., and/or living in the U.S., please reach out immediately to the Lippes Mathias immigration team to find out whether you qualify for a U.S. Green Card and/or a nonimmigrant visa (work authorization).