CFI IN USA.? [Archive] - PPRuNe Forums

Arrow0

5th Nov 2011, 22:02

Hello guys,i am an Indian Citizen looking for a job in united states as a CFI.?
A little query-I am on a M1 student visa and with this i cannot get paid as per the laws of the usa..is there any way i can convert my student to a work visa?

Thanks in advance for your replies..!

raysalmon

6th Nov 2011, 03:17

Your question is best answered in an immigration forum rather than a pilot forum. However, having some experience with immigration in the US, I will attempt to answer your question. The only type of student visa that will allow you to work would be a J-1 visa. What the requirements are to get that visa, I do not know.

To apply for a work visa you have to show that there are no US citizens/legal permanent residents willing and able to do the job you are applying for. This process involves the potential employer. It would be nearly impossible for a pilot employer to get the necessary approval to hire you. Most will not even try because they have plenty of available and qualified pilots who are already allowed to work in the US without having to jump through the immigration hoops.

The only other way to gain the right to live/work in the US is through having family that are US citizens or permanent residents. There are very long waiting lists though as there are limits as to how many family-related visas are issued each year and thousands more people apply than there are visas available for. I think you will find vast majority of "foreign" pilots working in the US gained their residency through the family route or they gained their residency through another profession before becoming pilots in the US.

Tough facts, but that's the way it is in the US, and will likely always be that way.