Thanks for the update on the topic. I tried searching Sunstate aviation with all the connected keywords, but without success, which was strange. If it's OK I'd continue posting in this thread given that the one MRMUM quoted is almost a year old now.
So... I've been corresponding with Mike Camelin from SSE for a couple of weeks now arranging all the details for my arrival and one of the first thing he said to to me regarding ID-20 and student visas was as follows:
"We don't issue I-20 forms here and all you need for this type of training is a visitor visa. In some cases, pilot trainees may be required to obtain a student visa for flight training, but that would be mostly for training courses which take several months to complete and result in a career orientation or a college degree. This is not the case however for our shorter accelerated training courses which are recreational in nature, and utilize the self-study, web-based Distance Learning programs. These flight training courses fit within the State Department's "18 hour rule".
Here is a quote from the US State Department's web site which will explain:
"If you are going to the U.S. primarily for tourism, but want to take a short course of study which is recreational, and the course is less than 18 hours per week, you may be able to do so on a visitor visa. If your course of study is 18 hours or more a week, you will need a student visa. When traveling to the U.S. to attend seminars or conferences for credit towards a degree, then you'll need a student visa."
If you want to read this for yourself, here is the URL:
Student Visas
"
Yesterday I had an interview in my the US Embassy here in Zagreb, Croatia and the counsel didn't say my visitor (B2) visa wasn't appropriate for the type of training I'm aiming for (although I'm still waiting for it to get approved).
Everything else was clear from their side at first glance. I just wanted to see if someone on the forum had a bad experience with them.