Great River Aviation LLC

Great River Aviation is proud to be authorized under Federal law to enroll non-immigrant foreign students. We can now issue M-1 student Visa's for international students wishing to train with Great River Aviation in Quincy, Illinois, USA. If you are interested in this opportunity, please review all the instructions below to begin M-1 VISA approval.

Once you fill out the registration form, either Fax or mail the form to Great River Aviation. Address and Fax number are provided on the form. Your application will be reviewed and processed, and once your deposit is received, you will receive your I-20 Form and student acceptance letter.

Foreign Student Procedures

Please note that any foreigner to the U.S. who wishes to participate in any type of training in the U.S. must enter the U.S. with a Student Visa.

A U.S. school, which has been granted approval by the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service to issue Student Visas, must fill out the appropriate forms and issue them to the prospective students. (Great River Aviation, LLC. has the Student Visa authorization and can issue I-20 Forms for M-1 Student Visa.)

Upon completion of acceptance and enrollment requirements, the U.S. school sends the prospective student the required forms, appropriately completed, with full instructions. Great River Aviation, LLC will do this with receipt of all the following required items:

Completed Great River Aviation, LLC. Registration & I-20 Information Forms.

A copy of passport with picture, passport number and expiration date.

Proof of financial ability to apply all educational expenses and support yourself and any dependents with you while in the United States. A letter certified by an office of your bank stating the amount of funds on deposit for educational expenses is acceptable. Please contact the school for an estimate of your training expenses.

Enrollment and Registration fees. The enrollment and registration fee is $250.00 (non-refundable). An additional $2,000.00 (refundable) deposit for classes/training materials is also required; total $2,250.00 before the I-20 Form can be sent.

A copy of a high school diploma, an official high school transcript, or a high school equivalency certificate. These documents must be accompanied by an English translation.

Evidence that you can read, write, speak and understand English. If you attended school in a country in which the dominant language of instruction is English, no other proof is required. Otherwise, you must submit a score of at least 500 on the TOEFL examination.

The appropriate school authority has determined that you meet all standards for admission.

The official responsible for admission at the school has accepted you for enrollment in a full course of study

Complete the form I-901 online and be sure to print your online receipt for confirmation. The cost for this will be $100. Later you will receive your official receipt of payment in the mail. You must complete this step prior to scheduling your interview appointment. Important - the information you enter on the Form I-901 must match exactly as you entered on the Form I-20.

Fill out application for a background check online. The application processing fee for each course is $130. The name on the credit card used must match the name on the application.

Preliminary approval from the Transportation Security Administration

The prospective student must go to the U.S. Embassy with the appropriate documents for a routine interview. Appropriate documents include: Form I-20; Passport; Financial Statements; Receipt for payment of Form I-901. The student will be notified as to whether they have been approved or disapproved. If all is in order, the U.S. Embassy will provide the student with an M-1 Student Visa, permitting the student to enter the U.S.

After receiving an M-1 visa, the student is responsible for providing Great River Aviation with the details of his/her travel arrangements.

All International Students must purchase a "Medical/Accident" Insurance Policy prior to arriving in the U.S., for the length of time they are in flight training at Great River Aviation.

You must send us an application form at least 45 days prior to your class starting date. Upon receiving a notice of your deposit to our account, we will send you an acceptance letter and the I-20 form for you to bring it to the U.S. Embassy in your country. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at (217) 885-3353.

It is our policy that students who are training spend a minimum of 18-22 hours a week at our training facility with their Certified Flight Instructor. This time may include but not be limited to ground, flight and simulator instruction.

Once you are here, you can use your credit card (VISA, Master Card, American Express, and Discover), Travelers checks, and/or Cash to pay for any additional costs. We hope to see you soon!