It's not 100% related but it is a bit. I'm still at uni and was going off to Florida to start step 1 of my training, get a PPL.
But unfortunately the US Embassy are giving me a massive run around. They won't approve my M1 Visa application, but they won't refuse it either. The person that interviewed me grilled me extensively, to the point where I was really getting annoyed with his inane and patronising questions, then after all that I was told he didn't have the authority to approve my application and I should take my I20, my Sevis receipt, and my Passport and go home and wait for a phone call/letter telling me the result of my application. He said it would be 2-3 days at most.
As some may know, the US embassy in the UK is probably more guarded than most of the airports so no mobiles are allowed inside. Knowing this I'd left it at home. By the time I got home I had a voicemail message from the guy who interviewed me. He basically said it's not going to be 2-3 days it's going to be as long as it takes. He gave me his name and a number I could call him at the embassy and said just to give a ring if I needed any more information. I left it a few days, then rang the number. No answer, went through to voicemail and a kind recorded message informed me the extension number I had dialled didn't subscribe to that voicemail service. Goodbye. Dial tone. A bit miffed I tried again and again, and have been ringing a few times a day for about a month now. No response.
All I can ascertain is that they don't want to give me a Visa to learn to fly in USA, but they don't want to say no because they have no real reason to say no. They don't want to be seen to be saying no based on the fact that I check all their "terrorist alert boxes" but they don't have any real intel that says I may be one. So by not doing anything eventually I'll either give up, or I'll have run out of time. They know I am a university student too so they may just wait till September when they know I can't go. I may be dropping out though so if they do that I win... haha.
(to Mods: I know this isn't 100% relevant but I assume because I'm still new here I can't post a new topic in the Private Pilot forum - I tried and failed - so I've been waiting for a semi-relevant topic to come around so I can post a reply in it. Feel free to move this there as a New topic if you wish. I just wanted to warn other UK Asian/Muslim people who are thinking of going to USA for some training they may have issues with it)