Mayday,
Any flight training that seeks a license or rating now requires a Visa. INS is being very specific on this. If the training is for
any kind of certification a Visa is required.
There are J.A.A. FTO's in the U.S.A. that have Visa Authority.
Note the language in the rule
The Service's implementation of this rule as an interim rule, with provisions for post-promulgation public comments, is based on the "good cause'' exceptions found at 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) and (d)(3). The reason and necessity for the immediate promulgation of this rule are as follows: The rule is necessary to ensure the national security of the United States by eliminating the ability of a B nonimmigrant to enroll in school until the Service has approved a change of nonimmigrant status application filed by the prospective alien student. The previous rule allowing such enrollment prior to adjudication of the application was used by some of the September 11th terrorists to obtain flight training in the United States. Closing this loophole is essential to efforts to prevent this abuse from recurring.
INS wants anyone coming to the U.S.A. for any kind of flight training to be checked out first. The way INS does this is by having the people coming be on a Visa. The INS has never made any distinctions on the types of training when talking bout the need for student visas. (I do not know where the idea that student visas only applied to FAA training comes from. It has been stated several times on PPRuNe and is false.)
Take Care,
Capt. Richard J. Gentil, Pres.
Naples Air Center, Inc.