A recent rule change by the Transportation Security Administration to allow foreign students to be fingerprinted in their home country is good news for U.S. flight schools that were at risk of losing those students, says the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI). “This is enormous,” said NAFI Executive Director Rusty Sachs. “This new procedure will … eliminate the need for repeated, extended trips to the United States to comply with the security regulations.” Under the original rule, foreign students had to be fingerprinted within the U.S., then wait up to 30 days before receiving authorization to begin training. Sachs said the additional living and travel expenses would lead some to look elsewhere for flight training, shutting many U.S. flight schools out of an estimated $1 billion market. The TSA now has authorized the National Air Transportation Association Compliance Services to collect and certify fingerprints for alien flight training candidates. The TSA says it will closely monitor the new, streamlined process to determine its effectiveness.
TSA Simplifies Alien-Fingerprinting Process
Key Takeaways:
- The TSA has changed a rule to allow foreign flight students to be fingerprinted in their home countries.
- This change is expected to significantly benefit U.S. flight schools by preventing them from losing international students due to previous travel and waiting period requirements.
- The new procedure eliminates the need for foreign students to make multiple, extended trips to the U.S. just for fingerprinting, saving them significant time and money.
- The National Air Transportation Association Compliance Services has been authorized by the TSA to collect and certify these fingerprints abroad, streamlining the security process.
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