PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - M1 Visa or no Visa and SEVIS approved schools in the USA
Old 20th Jun 2010, 23:16
  #4 (permalink)  
nh2301
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: FL
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I probably didn't state that clearly enough. You are absolutely right that trying to dodge the rules by saying 'I'm going to do less than 18 hours per week' won't work. If your course of training could be completed as a full time course of study, then you can reasonably expect to do so, and would need a visa regardless. However, if your training is less than 18 hours in total then it would have to be incidental and that seaplane rating or night training (for a UK PPL) would be good examples. Attendance at a full time course of study is mandatory for visa issuance, and failure to attend would leave you out of status.

Imagine if you will, the second week of your month long holiday. You got your seaplane training in Florida the first weekend, and now you're touring around the US having a great time. You find yourself staying overnight in Arizona, and while driving to the hotel get stopped at an immigration checkpoint. (This happened to me a few years ago). Try explaining to the officer why you are registered as a full time student at a school in Florida and a week after entering the country you're a thousand miles away.

I don't mean to suggest you can get away without a visa when you should have one, only to state that when you don't need one you shouldn't have one and are similarly in danger of falling out of status.

And don't trust flight schools. Ever.
nh2301 is offline