SEVIS Transfer for Flight School: M-1 Rules and Steps

A SEVIS transfer lets an international flight student move an M-1 record from one SEVP-certified flight school to another without ending status. Done in the right order, the student notifies the current school, the receiving school issues a transfer Form I-20, and the student files Form I-539 with USCIS. The sequence, the timing and the school you choose all decide whether the move is smooth or costs you weeks of flying.

TL;DR

• M-1 students can transfer to another M-1 SEVIS-certified school within six months of first admission in M-1 status. After that, a transfer needs circumstances beyond your control.
• The order matters: tell your current Designated School Official (DSO) first, then get the transfer I-20 from the new school, then file Form I-539.
• The receiving school must be SEVP-certified for FAA Part 141 or 142 training. Part 61 programs are not available to nonimmigrant students.
• Non-citizens also need TSA Flight Training Security Program clearance, and the new school must confirm it before training begins.
• Report to the new school within 15 days of the program start date, or the registration does not complete.

Table of Contents

• What a SEVIS transfer means for a flight student
• Who is eligible to transfer
• The transfer process, step by step
• Documents and fees to prepare
• TSA security clearance does not transfer by default
• Timing a transfer without losing flight hours
• How a transfer affects status, work and travel
• Common mistakes that derail transfers
• Our perspective
• Start your transfer with Florida Flyers
• FAQ
• Sources

What a SEVIS transfer means for a flight student

SEVIS is the federal database that tracks every F-1 and M-1 student. Your record belongs to the school that currently holds it, and only that school’s DSO can release it. A transfer is the formal handover of that record to a second school. It is not a new visa, and it is not a new enrollment from scratch. Your status continues, provided the handover is completed correctly.

Most international pilot trainees are M-1 students because flight training is a vocational program. If you are not sure which classification fits your plan, our comparison of M-1 versus F-1 visas for flight students explains the difference, including the work restrictions that follow each.

This article covers M-1 transfers. F-1 students follow a different procedure, so confirm your classification on your Form I-20 before you act on anything below.

Who is eligible to transfer

The core rule is a timing rule. According to Study in the States, M-1 students may transfer to another M-1 SEVIS-certified school within six months of their first admission in M-1 status or an approved change to M-1 status. That six months is the window in which a transfer is routine.

Outside the window, a transfer is still possible, but only in narrow circumstances. USCIS policy allows an M-1 student to transfer beyond the six-month limit if the student cannot remain at the initial school due to circumstances beyond the student’s control. A school losing its certification or ending a program can qualify. Simple dissatisfaction with scheduling, aircraft availability or cost generally does not. Discuss any late transfer with your DSO and, where the facts are complicated, with an immigration attorney before you leave your current school.

The receiving school must be eligible

This is the point most flight students overlook. ICE guidance to flight training providers states that SEVP approval of flight training providers is strictly limited to FAA Part 141 and 142 programs, and that enrollment in FAA Part 61 programs is not permitted for nonimmigrant students. A school can advertise excellent instruction and still be unable to issue an I-20 for the course you want.

Before you request any release, verify three things about the new school:

1. It is SEVP-certified and can issue Forms I-20 for M-1 students.
2. The specific course you plan to take is a Part 141 or 142 course.
3. It can place you in the training stage you have actually reached, with your prior hours credited where its approved syllabus allows.

If you want to understand how the approved-syllabus structure affects credit and progress, read our explainer on what FAA Part 141 means.

The transfer process, step by step

The sequence below follows the procedure described by Study in the States and the USCIS Policy Manual. Follow the order. Filing early or skipping a step is the most common reason transfers stall.

1. Choose the receiving school and secure admission. Confirm certification, course eligibility and a realistic start date before you tell anyone else.
2. Notify your current DSO. You must tell the current school, the transfer-out school, that you intend to transfer and name the school you are moving to.
3. The transfer-out DSO updates SEVIS. The DSO enters the transfer-in school and sets a release date with you. The release date is based on your M-1 status date and the session dates of both schools.
4. The transfer-in school issues an Initial Transfer Form I-20. The new school generates it, but it cannot see your record until the release date arrives.
5. File Form I-539 with USCIS. Once you hold the transfer I-20, you submit the Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status for permission to transfer.
6. Report to the new school within 15 days of the program start date. The transfer-in DSO then registers you in SEVIS.

The official guidance adds a practical point: you may begin studying at the new school while the I-539 is pending. For a flight student, that matters. It means the application does not have to freeze your training schedule.

What USCIS grants on approval

When USCIS approves the application, the program start date on the I-20 becomes the approved transfer date. The student receives an extension of stay for the lesser of the time needed to complete the new course of study plus 30 days, or a total of one year, per the USCIS Policy Manual. A long program may therefore require a further extension before it ends, so ask the new DSO to map your timeline at the start.

Documents and fees to prepare

No two files are identical, but a flight student should expect to assemble the following:

On fees, there are two things to separate. The I-539 carries a USCIS filing fee that USCIS adjusts from time to time, so read the current figure on the USCIS fee schedule the day you file rather than relying on an older number. The I-901 SEVIS fee is a separate matter. ICE explains that the fee is separate from visa fees and from school SEVIS administration fees, and that the rule generally levies $350. That fee is paid when you apply for student status. A transfer within SEVIS keeps your existing record, so your DSO should confirm whether any new payment applies to your situation before you spend money.

The financial evidence is where many students are caught out, because a new school’s costs may differ from the old one’s. Our guide to the five costs your I-20 must show walks through what DSOs expect to see. Get a written, itemized cost statement from the new school before the I-20 is issued.

TSA security clearance does not transfer by default

Flight training for non-citizens falls under the TSA Flight Training Security Program. The TSA announcement of the final rule, effective July 30, 2024, describes a Certificate of Eligibility that lets approved applicants train as often as they like within a five-year period while they remain eligible. The same rule requires recurrent vetting during that period.

What this means in practice for a transfer:

• Ask the new school to confirm exactly what it needs from you before the first lesson, and bring your existing eligibility details.
• Do not assume the new school will book you into an aircraft on day one. The school must have your security status in order first.
• Keep your records tidy. ICE reminds providers that if TSA finds a candidate to be a threat to aviation or national security, the provider must immediately end the candidate’s training. Providers must also notify TSA and the local FBI office if they believe a candidate is no longer eligible, per the ICE compliance reminder.

The school’s obligations here are strict. Providers must keep M-1 and F-1 training records in line with 14 CFR 141.101 and make them available to DHS on request, and they are subject to out-of-cycle reviews. A well-run school treats that paperwork as routine. If a prospective school seems vague about it, take that seriously.

Timing a transfer without losing flight hours

The immigration clock and the training clock run separately, and good planning keeps them aligned.

Pick the release date with the schedule in mind. Your release date should fall near the new school’s session start so you are not between records for long. Because the new school cannot access your record before the release date, any gap leaves your file in limbo.

Do not stop flying before you have the new I-20 in hand. Work with your current DSO while you are still enrolled. Arriving at a new school with a lapsed record is a harder problem than a short overlap.

Bring your logbook and training records. Your new chief instructor will want to see completed stage checks, endorsements and the ratings you hold. For a plain-language look at how stage checks and progress records factor in when you change schools, see our flight school switch checklist.

Plan checkride logistics. If you are close to a practical test, ask both schools who will recommend you and who will conduct the exam, so a transfer does not strand you partway through a rating.

How a transfer affects status, work and travel

As long as the steps are completed in order and you attend the new school as required, a transfer is a continuation of status rather than a break. The risks arise from gaps: a missed 15-day report date, a release date that does not match your actual start, or training at a school not certified for your course.

Travel deserves care while the I-539 is pending. Leaving the country with an application in process, then returning on a record that has just moved schools, can raise questions at the border. Ask your new DSO to confirm your I-20 is current and signed for travel before you book a flight, and read our rundown of M-1 travel rules and denied reentry.

Also remember that M-1 status carries tight limits on employment. Do not count on income from the new school’s instructor pathway until you have confirmed what your status permits with the DSO.

Common mistakes that derail transfers

• Filing Form I-539 before holding the transfer I-20. The form depends on that document.
• Waiting past six months without a qualifying reason. The routine window closes, and exceptions are narrow.
• Choosing a Part 61 school. It cannot enroll nonimmigrant students, whatever its marketing says.
• Skipping the 15-day report. Registration in SEVIS depends on it.
• Ignoring TSA eligibility. Without it, the school cannot start your training.
• Under-documenting funds. A new tuition schedule changes the financial evidence you need.

Our perspective

Students who move between schools usually do it for one reason: the exam waits, the aircraft availability or the cost structure at the first school did not match the plan on paper. We hear it often. In a SEVIS transfer, those same variables turn into immigration risk, because every week of delay is a week your record and your training are out of step.

That is why we built our programs around predictability. As a Part 141 academy with Self Examining Authority, we can conduct FAA checkrides in-house, which removes one of the longest waits in a pilot’s timeline. Our programs are designed for completion in as little as 111 hours of flight training from private pilot to ATP minimums, and our fixed-price structure is designed to keep the I-20 figure and the real cost of training aligned, so your financial evidence does not drift away from reality.

If you are considering a move, bring your current I-20, your logbook and your questions. We will tell you plainly what the new I-20 will need to show, and how the release date should line up with a start date. A transfer handled with discipline costs you days. One handled in a hurry can cost you months.

Rainer

Start your transfer with Florida Flyers

If you are an M-1 student weighing a move, we can review your record, your remaining training and your timeline with you before you notify your current school. Our Fixed-Price Airline Flight School Program is published at $85,900, and our U.S. Airline Pilot Career Program at $49,950, so you can compare the totals against what your I-20 must show.

For course-level detail on private, instrument, multi-engine and CFI training, see our Part 141 pilot training courses. To understand how we handle admission paperwork, read how to secure your I-20 well before your start date.

FAQ

Can I transfer flight schools on an M-1 visa after more than six months?

Only in limited cases. USCIS allows a transfer beyond six months when circumstances outside your control prevent you from staying at the first school. Talk to your DSO and, if your facts are unusual, an immigration attorney before you act.

Do I need a new I-20 to transfer?

Yes. The receiving school’s DSO issues an Initial Transfer Form I-20 after the current school sets the transfer in SEVIS. You need that document before you file Form I-539 with USCIS.

Can I keep training while my transfer application is pending?

Yes, according to Study in the States, you may begin studying at the new school while the I-539 is pending. You must still report to the new school within 15 days of the program start date so the DSO can register you.

Does my TSA clearance carry over to a new school?

TSA’s program grants eligibility for a five-year period while you remain eligible, but the new school still has to verify your status before training begins. Ask the school what it needs from you before your first lesson.

Can I transfer to a Part 61 school?

No. ICE states that SEVP approval for flight training is limited to Part 141 and 142 programs, and Part 61 enrollment is not permitted for nonimmigrant students.

Sources

• Manage Transfer of M-1 SEVIS Record, Study in the States
• Chapter 4, School Transfer, USCIS Policy Manual
• Compliance Reminders for SEVP-Certified Flight Training Providers, ICE
• TSA announces the Flight Training Security Program final rule
• I-901 SEVIS Fee Frequently Asked Questions, ICE
• USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055

Recommended

• M-1 Visa Requirements for International Flight Training Students
• M-1 Visa Flight Training: How International Students Enroll
• Your M1 Visa for Flight Training: From Application to Takeoff
• SEVIS First for U.S. M-1 Visas: 5 Costs Your I-20 Must Show