US Visa

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security requires all international students who study in the United States to do so at an SEVP-certified school.  All flight training for international students must be conducted at a flight school which has been approved under Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 141.  SAA is both SEVP-certified and and a 141 flight school with a long background of experience in training students of all nationalities under a US Visa.



​The Visa process is simpler and less daunting than it might look at first glance.  Essentialy, there are two types of U.S. visas used for international student flight training: The M-1 Visa and the F-1 Visa.



​M-1 Visa
An M-1 Visa is issued to students taking flight courses that do not culminate in the ability to apply for an internship or any form of employment in the US.  Essentially, the M-1 Visa is a student-only Visa.  The M-1 allows you to stay in the U.S. for up to 12 months, but it can be extended, if needed for training.  This visa will be issued for the majority of our international flight training programs:

 

-EASA

-Professional Pilot Program - Single Engine

-Professional Pilot Program - Single and Multi Engine


F-1 Visa
An F-1 Visa is issued to students enrolling in training programs that culminate in the ability for the graduate to apply for an insternship or employment with SAA:

 

-Instructor Internship Program
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Like the M-1 visa, the F-1 Visa is a 36 month visa that allocates the first 12 months to training. 900 student clock hours are required to maintain this Visa, and our Instructor Internship Program has been developed in compliance with this.  Upon graduation, an F-1 Visa enables students (upon application and approval of DHS for your work authorization) to be eligible to apply to an internship or work assignment to build additional flight hours as an instructor under what is referred to as "Curricular Practical Training" (CPT).  During this time, SAA continues to sponsor a student's F-1 Visa, and therefore all employment and/or internship time (paid or unpaid) must be completed either with SAA, or under SAA's approval.  Internships or employment are not guaranteed in any way by posessing this Visa, simply that a student is legally allowed to work, should employment be offered following a successful interview process.

 

The US Department of Homeland Security provides resources on learning more about the process of studying in the United States, as well as how to maintain a Visa's status with full compliance.  Please click here to learn more.

To apply for a visa, prospective students must first complete the school application and submit all required documents. Upon SAA's receipt of the completed application, admissions fee and required documents, our admissions representative will contact you.  We will then guide you through the visa process with detailed instructions to prepare for the U.S. Consulate or U.S. Embassy interview.

Please contact us for more information​!