The United States supports international education and welcomes foreign students and exchange visitors. Before applying for a visa, students and exchange visitors must be accepted by an SEVP Approved School or program sponsor. Pan Am is approved to issue the M-1/I-20 form to students interested in flight training in the United States. If you are unsure if you require a student visa to train in the United States, please contact us at tsa@panamacademy.com Visa Application Process

1. Complete the Pan Am Application form 
2. Pay visa processing fee via link: https://fly.panamacademy.com/pay-securely-online-now
3. Submit all required documents to Pan Am via email: PDF of list of required documents
4. A Pan Am immigration specialist will contact you.

Once you have received your I-20 from Pan Am, please go to the link below and follow the detailed instructions on how to apply for your M-1 Visa. Student Visa Information from the Government

Candidates seeking flight training are separated into 1 of 4 categories. If you have questions on which category to apply for, please Contact Us for assistance. Begin your TSA Application Category 1 For Candidates pursuing training in aircraft with a maximum certified takeoff weight (MTOW) of over 12,500 lbs. who do not qualify for Category 2.  Category 1 is generally for pilots who do not have a type rating for ANY aircraft with MTOW over 12,500 lbs., and have never filled out a training request with the AFSP. NOTE: After the AFSP emails a Fingerprint Receipt to the Candidate, there is a wait period that may take up to 30 days to receive authorization to train. Category 2 Candidates pursuing training in aircraft with a maximum certified takeoff weight (MTOW) of over 12,500 lbs. must choose one of the following subcategories: 1. Candidate holds an airman’s certificate from a foreign country (or the U.S.) recognized by the FAA or a U.S. military agency.

• This sub category is for Candidates who have either an FAA or foreign airman’s certificate that is recognized by the FAA with a type rating for an aircraft with MTOW over 12,500 lbs.

2. Candidate is employed by a foreign air carrier with a security program approved under the CFR.

• This sub category is for Candidates who work for a foreign airline that is considered a Security Approved Foreign Air Carrier by the TSA.

3. Candidate must list accurate contact info for their employer, we will need to contact them to verify employment

• Candidate has unescorted access to a secure airport area under the CFR.
• This sub category is for Candidates who are on the Master Crew List

4. Candidate is a flight crew member with a criminal history check under the CFR.

• This sub category is for Candidates who have submitted fingerprints for any TSA program. This includes Candidates who have submitted fingerprints to AFSP in the past.

NOTE: After the AFSP emails a Fingerprint Receipt to the Candidate, there is a wait period that may take up to 5 business days to receive authorization to train. Category 3 Candidates who seek flight training in the operation of aircraft with a maximum certificated takeoff weight of 12,500 pounds or less for the following training events: Each of these training events requires a separate training request. Clarification regarding Category 3 exemptions is covered in the next Frequently Asked Question.

• Initial airman’s certificate, including a private, recreational, or sport pilot certificate. — If a private and/or commercial license is the candidate’s initial FAA license, it is considered an initial airman’s certificate and is not exempt.

• Instrument Rating (IR)
• Multi-Engine Rating (MEL)

Category 4 Candidates who seek recurrent training in the operation of aircraft with a maximum certificated takeoff weight (MTOW) greater than 12,500 pounds, and are current and qualified on the aircraft for which they are requesting training. These training requests are submitted by the Candidates who must advise the flight training providers of the application — Candidates need to “Select Providers for Recurrent Training” from the AFSP Candidate account. For more information about TSA Training Categories and Frequently Asked Questions, please visit https://www.fts.tsa.dhs.gov/home

Application Instructions for Category 1 & 2 Applicants Click here for a step by step presentation of the Cat 1 and 2 App Process Step 1: Flight training candidate requests an account to access the Alien Flight Student Program by completing the account request form. You will access the TSA website: https://www.fts.tsa.dhs.gov/home Once there, you will go the section that says Create A New Account. Click ‘ENTER’, and this will take you through the instructions on how to set up your account with TSA. Remember to always submit personal information exactly as it appears on your passport. Step 2: A User ID and password are automatically emailed to the flight-training candidate by TSA. This allows the candidate to access the web site and complete the application. Step 3: The candidate completes online forms with the following information: A.   Residence and citizenship; B.   Places and terms of employment; C.   Details of the requested training; (See A & B below) D.   Other background information. A.   Candidate must select Florida, then Pan Am Flight Academy, if training in Miami as the selected school. B.   Additional information such as: Course ID – This will be the sales order number provided to you by a PanAm Representative. Course Name – The type of aircraft followed by the nature of training. Examples: B727 Initial, MD80 Initial, etc. (This selection must coincide with the Course ID) Aircraft – Again, the type of aircraft. Examples: B727, B737, MD80, etc. (This selection must coincide with Course Name and Course ID) Step 4: When candidate completes the application, they will be redirected to the home page where they will need to go to the bottom of the page and select the “Validate & Submit” button. If there are any errors in the application, they will need to be corrected before continuing. The “Validate & Submit” process may have to be repeated if errors continue to appear on the application. Note: The application will not be considered submitted until this process is completed. Step 5: Upon submission of the completed forms, the training provider will be able to validate the candidate’s application on the AFSP web site. Step 6: Upon validation of the candidate by the training provider, the candidate will receive an email from TSA advising them to pay the $130 processing fee. They will be able to do so by going to the bottom of the application form. (Last button on the right with a $ dollar sign in it). This will take them to fee payment form. Step 7: The AFSP will then send confirmation of payment along with instructions for the candidate’s fingerprinting process. Step 8: After the fingerprints have been submitted to Washington, the AFSP will send an email confirming receipt of the fingerprints. This begins the waiting period clock – 30 days for CAT 1; 5 days for CAT 2. Step 9: Student/Candidate  MUST monitor all email messages from AFSP in case they send an email requesting additional information. Step 10: The AFSP will submit a written approval for the candidate to begin training. Upon completion off all of these steps, training may commence. It is important all applicants notify us via email their TSA app has been submitted.

Application Instructions for Category 4 (Recurrent Training) Applicants: Click here for a step by step Presentation of the Cat 4 App Process Step 1: Flight training candidate requests an account to access the Alien Flight Student Program by completing the account request form. You will access the TSA website: https://www.fts.tsa.dhs.gov/home If you already have an account with TSA, log-in to your account and update the personal information, documents and go to training request section. Step 2: Once you have opened the account you will need to create a User ID and Password.  Your User ID and Password are your personal identifiers unique to the TSA.  You will use this UID & PW each time you need to enter a new training application with TSA.  Do not lose this information or you will need to contact TSA via email requesting a new UID & PW in order to continue with an application process. Step 3: Recurrent Training applicants must complete steps 1 thru step 6 in the Category 4 Recurrent Training Section of the TSA website. Please input your personal information exactly as it appears on your documents ( Passport, Visa and Pilot License). If the name that appears on your passport is different in any way from the name that appears on your pilot license, because you have shortened it or modified in any way, then you must complete the section for A/K/A/ alias name. Do not submit a license and a passport where names do not match without completing this section or your application will not be processed. Step 4: Submit and upload images of each document, passport, pilot license (must show current type rating for equipment in which training is being requested), visa, seperately for each document. Step 5: Select the provider: First select the Provider Location: Miami, FL or  Minneapolis, MN , then click on the SEARCH button. The list of Providers will be listed and you will select PANAM as provider. Step 6: Click on the Icon ” Category 4 ” Recurrent training request.” A new window will open. It is important all applicants notify us via email their TSA app has been submitted.