B1/B2 Visa

[rene86mx]

Hi

I've looked everywhere and I can't find any information

I live near the border with Texas. I plan to get my PPL as a hobby,
My idea is to drive the ~2 hours from MTY to MFE/HRL/BRO once or twice per month and fly during the weekend and then go back

I know this will be long but it's the only thing I can do now

Do you know if this part-time flight training can be done with a B1/B2 visa?

Thanks

 

[orange]

Do you know if this part-time flight training can be done with a B1/B2 visa?

If you have a B2 Tourism visa (usually issued as joint B1/B2), you can do whatever you want with the exception of work. You can go to Disney or you can take flying lessons, they don't care as long as you don't violate the terms of your visa.

However, you may have some problems finding a flight school that will accept you without US residency. I don't remember the details if it was at the beginning of my training or when I was ready to solo, but I had to fill out paperwork for TSA background check or something like that. And citizenship may have been required, or maybe I'm mis-remembering.

 

[flyingron]

May I assume you are a Mexican national?
Official information here: https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov

The answer is sadly, that even Category 3 (less than 12,500) a recent "clarification" from the TSA says you need to be on a student visa with an SEVIS approved school to train for an initial rating.

 

[RyanB]

However, you may have some problems finding a flight school that will accept you without US residency. I don't remember the details if it was at the beginning of my training or when I was ready to solo, but I had to fill out paperwork for TSA background check or something like that.

Yeah that might be the only show stopper that I can see. Valid U.S. ID and birth certificate are required.

 

[flyingron]

If you have a B2 Tourism visa (usually issued as joint B1/B2), you can do whatever you want with the exception of work. You can go to Disney or you can take flying lessons, they don't care as long as you don't violate the terms of your visa.

Not true. There are specific permitted and prohibited activity on B1 and B2 visas. The US considers training for an initial rating to be a "course of study" and is prohibited.

 

[NoHeat]

You might try contacting some instructors directly, at the airports you have in mind, to see if they have trained and registered themselves with TSA, for giving flight training to aliens.

As an example, at our Aero club here in Iowa there are several instructors, but only one of them has taken the effort to train and register with TSA, so he instructs all the foreign students (and he enjoys this, by the way).

 

[NoHeat]

For more info, search google for the following words: Alien Flight Student Program.

 

[rene86mx]

May I assume you are a Mexican national?
Official information here: https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov
The answer is sadly, that even Category 3 (less than 12,500) a recent "clarification" from the TSA says you need to be on a student visa with an SEVIS approved school to train for an initial rating.

Yes, I missed that key information. Sorry

Not true. There are specific permitted and prohibited activity on B1 and B2 visas. The US considers training for an initial rating to be a "course of study" and is prohibited.

I think there's a difference for part-time training.

You might try contacting some instructors directly, at the airports you have in mind, to see if they have trained and registered themselves with TSA, for giving flight training to aliens.

As an example, at our Aero club here in Iowa there are several instructors, but only one of them has taken the effort to train and register with TSA, so he instructs all the foreign students (and he enjoys this, by the way).

I'm already contacting flight schools. Seems this will be the best option

Thank you all for your responses

 

[flyingron]

You can do recurrent training on a B-1, but your initial training for a rating no matter how you structure it is going to be covered as a "course of study" as far as DHS is concerned.