Pan Am told me that I don't need a student visa. They even sent me a letter where they stated that I only need a B2 visa (or waiver).
I was skeptical about the letter and since I still keep in touch with the school where I was years ago, I asked them their opinion on the matter. They have TSA reps, they told me that a visa is mandatory and they encouraged me to get one.
Also, according to what I have read here on
pprune, the TSA seems now to be requiring a visa number before issuing a clearance.
So I would like to add
SimCenter to the list (seen on
Training in the USA - Visa Requirements)
It's the only one I've found that issues visas. I don't know how much they charge for the ratings but I have a gut feeling that they are not among the cheapest.
Another option would be to get a visa for something else and then get TSA clearance. Is this feasable?
Dartagnan, how much money did you loose ? Hopefully no more than the downpayment.
The way it usually goes is the following:
You make a downpayment (around $1,500) and they send you home the training material.
The wise thing to do is to get the TRTO accept your TSA request (
see TSA process) before making ANY downpayment and then, when you get the clearance, pay and get the training stuff.
According to what my old school says though, you are still at risk if caught training in the US by the Immigration Service without a proper visa.