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International Student Resources & Guides

SDFTI International Student Resources & Guides
Student and Exchange Visitor Information 

We are experts at supporting students outside the U.S.A. and our experience will make your TSA application process smooth and easy.

First Steps to Success….
There are two steps to obtaining the required clearances involve two separate processes. The first is through the US Department of State, under the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System commonly known as SEVIS. The second process involves an application to the US Department of Homeland Security under the Transportation Safety Administration, commonly known as TSA.

Detailed Instructions:

In order to receive a M1 visa from SEVIS, you must first obtain a form I-20 from San Diego Flight Training International Inc. (SDFTI). This will be issued by the flight school and signed by its designated official.

To properly fill out the I20 form and issue it to you, you must provide the following information:

1. A clear copy of your passport

2. Your mailing address in your home country, in the USPS format

a. Street Number
b. Street Name
c. Apartment or unit number (if applicable)
d. City
e. State or Provence (if applicable)
f. Country
g. Postal Code (if applicable)

3. 1000.00 usd must be placed in your flight account. This is not a fee; it is a deposit for flight training. It will be used for your training once you get your M1 visa, should you not get your visa, the funds will be returned.

a. You may pay this fee with a credit card, money order or via a bank wire using the following information:

i. Union Bank of California
ii. 5121 Waring Road, San Diego, CA 92120
iii. Account: San Diego Flight Training International
iv. Account Number: 0190047822
v. Swift Code Number: BOFCUS33MPK
vi. Routing Number: 122000469

Once each of those steps are completed, a signed copy of the I20 will be sent to you either via an international courier or a digital copy for you to print.

Upon receipt of your I20 you need to set up an appointment for an interview with the USA Embassy in your home country. They will issue you an M1 visa, which will allow you to come to USA to enroll in SDFTI’s flight training program. At the appointment you will be fingerprinted and a picture taken. You also will need to pay 370.00 usd for the processing of your visa. At this point you should receive your visa in approximately thirty days, but in some cases it is much faster. Please keep that timeline in mind when setting up your travel plans.

The TSA clearance is done through an online application at www.flightschoolcandidates.gov. The form is relatively easy to fill out but does have some sections that are tricky, you will need the following information to do all the steps:

1. The first step is to get a UserId and password, the UserId can be whatever you like, but must be in small letters. The password must have numbers and letters, both capital and small letters, as well as a special character, like #$! for example.

2. All the information from your passport;

3. A digital copy of your passport that can be loaded on to the system when you are asked for it;

4. The date you became a citizen of your current country, in most cases this is your birthdate;

5. The last five years addresses for the places you have lived. So for example if you lived in one location since 2011 you will only need to list only that location; but if you moved several times in the last five years, you will need to list all of those locations. The last entry should be listed with a date check the box that says current. Please note this section appears to be the most difficult for students, so fill it out carefully

6. Another problem area is section 7 you will need the following information:

a. Start date should be the date you would like to begin your flight training. It must be at least five days beyond when you want to begin.
b. For the PPL

i. Course ID is P01
ii. Course Name is Type 3 Initial
iii. Aircraft C-172

c. For the IR

i. Course ID is I02
ii. Course Name is Instrument
iii. Aircraft C-172
iv. You will need to upload a copy of your pilot’s license

d. For the Multi Engine

i. Course ID is M04
ii. Course Name is Multi Engine
iii. Aircraft Piper Seneca
iv. You will need to upload a copy of your pilot’s license.

7. In section 8 you will pick:

a. Type 3

8. Once all of the required information is uploaded and sent to TSA the flight school will be notified via email that you have applied, assuming everything is correct, SDFTI will accept you into the program and you get an email on how to pay for your TSA screening. This must be done via a credit card. It is currently 130 usd, but that amount can change at any time.

9. The final step is get your fingerprints done again, this is generally done once you are formally enrolled at SDFTI, but if you have an approved fingerprint location in your home county, you may have them processed there.

NEXT: Contact us for support….

At this point you have completed everything for your clearances that you can do before arriving at SDFTI If you have any questions about the procedures, please contact me at phil@sdfti.com or 858-569-1822. Please be aware of the time differences, so we may not respond right away.

 


8745 Aero Dr #103
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 569-1822

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San Diego Flight Training International
8745 Aero Dr #103, San Diego, CA 92123
Phone: (858) 569-1822
Website: http://sdfti.com
Email: info@sdfti.com