SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions and Answers
Contents
1. SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System SEVIS the new database for electronically monitoring international students has been in operation now for about three months The American Council on Education ACE and several other higher education associations in collaboration with the Immigration and Naturalization Service INS presented four regional workshops in January 2003 to answer questions and troubleshoot anticipated problems with SEVIS The meetings held in Boston Chicago San Francisco and Atlanta with the support of PeopleSoft Inc Dell Computer Corp and Newfront Software Inc were quite helpful for the participants However we realize that not everyone was able to attend and that some of you who did attend are still having problems In an effort to continue to help administrators understand how to use the new system Jessica Campese of the INS volunteered to answer in writing the most asked and most relevant questions that came out of the four seminars Q What events are considered reportable events meaning events for which a SEVIS approved school would be required to create a SEVIS record for a continuing student that is not already in the system prior to August 1 2003 A Reportable events include any event for which a P DSO would normally issue a student a new form l 20 and or report to the Service including e Program Extension e Optional practical tra2. Additionally if students continue to fail courses in consecutive terms the DSO should question whether or not the student is making normal progress and maintaining status However as long as the school allows the student to continue enrollment and that enrollment is on a full time basis we have no requirements for the maintenance of a particular GPA or pass fail ratio American Council on Education http www acenet edu
3. I 20 and the reinstatement application was already filed on a non SEVIS l 20 the DO may adjudicate the non SEVIS application Upon approval of this application a school official could then create a continuing student record in SEVIS The DO may also request that the school create a SEVIS record with an issuance reason of reinstatement send the DO the SEVIS issued form and allow for electronic adjudication of the previously filed application Adjudication of this electronic record will then automatically change the student s status in the appropriate manner Q What should do if a student that has a reinstatement that is still pending is nearing their program end date and wants to transfer or change program levels A A school official should contact the local District Student School Officer as soon as possible to determine the status of this students case Until that students reinstatement application has been approved the student is not eligible to transfer or change programs In order to begin a new program American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 9 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs without approval of the original reinstatement request the student will have to leave the U S and re enter with an l 20 issued for initial attendance from the new school or for the new program level Q If a student that is transferring into my school wants to defer the start of t
4. and with the now increased speed of the system this school should have an adequate amount of time to complete and update any current student records However any new I 20 s issued after 2 15 2003 will have to be generated from SEVIS as well as immediately entering into the system any continuing student experiencing a reportable event after said date For those schools that were part of the original CIPRIS program and whose full set of student records were converted to SEVIS the Service is aware that you face a unique set of circumstances both in terms of completing the required student record updates in the required timeframe and in correcting the status of certain converted records The Help Desk should have contacted each of you to discuss the timing of you record updates However please continue to notify the SEVIS Help Desk with any problems you have with updating converted CIPRIS records Q Users have expressed concern that actions by the District Offices and Service Centers such as reinstatements are not entered into SEVIS quickly enough and therefore SEVIS users cannot access this information Schools claim that this gap in time between the actual event and when it is entered in the system denies valid students benefits to which they are entitled and this is occurring Early termination or withdrawal of a continuing student not yet in SEVIS can be reported via the 800 number until August 1 2003 A non SEVIS no show can be reported
5. what would the registration dates be in a typical spring semester If the student is taking the summer off and will begin again in the fall the next session start date will be the start of that fall semester The time between the current session end date spring session in this example and the next session start date fall session signifies the summer break However if the student plans to be enrolled for that summer session the P DSO may enter the next session start date as the start of the summer session If the student s plans change the registration dates can be updated at any point to reflect the most current information American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 4 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs Q School wants to know what to do with foreign students who are no longer attending their school Do they still register them in SEVIS and state they have returned to their home country do we register any that we don t know what happened to them or do they not bother registering them at all A Continuing student records do not need to be created simply for the purpose of indicating that a student has terminated completed or failed to enroll for a particular program However a school should continue to report no show information to the Service via the 800 See the answer to question on reportable events for details Q How does a school transfer a student into
6. OPT that was applied for and or approved prior to creation of the students SEVIS record e Mstudents in programs that exceed 12 months in length and e M students who have applied for and or been approved for a program extension prior to creation of the SEVIS record P DSOs that are attempting to create records for students in the circumstances described above should contact the SEVIS Help Desk or the NAFSA website to obtain instruction P DSOs that are attempting to create records that they believe cannot be accurately reflected in SEVIS but for which there is not yet guidance available should contact the Help Desk and provide a detailed explanation of the circumstance It is via escalation of this type of Help Desk report that the Bureau can be made aware and thus develop guidance on such unforeseen circumstances Q If a student filed a paper reinstatement request that has not yet been adjudicated how can this record be created in SEVIS Should create a record for reinstatement and if so do need to send a new reinstatement application A This is largely determined by the local District Officer as she or he is the individual responsible for adjudication of the reinstatement application A school that finds themselves in this circumstance should first contact the local District Student School Officer to check on the status of the case and determine what course of action is best Because the student does not necessarily need a new Form
7. change a student s status However if a student is expelled from a program and is therefore no longer engaged in a full time course of study a school official needs to terminate this student with a termination reason of expulsion Termination of a student record is a separate SEVIS update from indication that disciplinary action has been taken as a result of a crime conviction Q We are an approved private high school that accepts students from other institutions for short summer periods after which the students resume their program at the original school Are these students considered transfer students or can this summer enrollment be treated as concurrent enrollment A These students can be treated as concurrently enrolled The program that originally issued the student their I 20 and the program to which the student intends to return is responsible for continuing to maintain that students record The school at which the student is concurrently enrolled in this case the private high school should NOT create a separate SEVIS record nor issue the student an I 20 from their institution Q Do the I 20 forms need to be signed by the school official each and every time a student leaves the USA ex vacations or school breaks A No The SEVIS Form l 20 is authorized for travel by the signature on page three Each signature on an F 1 SEVIS I 20 authorizes travel for a year following the signature date Each signature on the M 1 SEVIS l 20
8. entered through the POE but that have not yet registered American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 6 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs Students that are on this list need to be either registered or terminated for no show This SEVIS termination replaces the schools requirement to report no shows via the 800 The system will terminate such students if no action is taken on their initial status records This electronic notification function eliminates the need for the POE to take the student s form SEVIS I 20 and route it through London KY and the ports are thus phasing this practice out All initial entries on Non SEVIS Forms l 20 prior to August 1 2003 will continue to be processed in the same manner as before meaning that the student will retain their copy and school copy will be sent to the school from London KY with the cover letter requesting that the school report a no show via the 800 number Q Should schools enter and maintain a student s admission number information in SEVIS A Schools should NOT enter a student s admission number in SEVIS either when creating or updating the record Student information on visa issuance date of entry port of entry and admission number will now be automatically populated by system interfaces Therefore while these fields are available to the DSOs it is better that the DSO not enter this informa
9. their institution using the SEVIS system A In general the transfer process will vary depending on whether the student is in an F program or an M program and on whether or not the student has a SEVIS record prior to the transfer All scenarios are outlined in the regulations and addressed in the SEVIS School User Manual available from the INS website www immigration gov The SEVIS Help Desk should also be able to walk users through this process Briefly for students that have a SEVIS record already created at another SEVIS school the transfer out school will need to indicate that the student is transferring to the particular school in question and will need to specify a release date Upon that release date in the case of an F student transfer the transfer in school will be able to open a partially completed record by clicking on the transfer in record on the students in transfer list This list is available to the PDSO and the all of the DSOs at the campus to which the student is transferring This partially completed transfer record should be completed and submitted to the system by the transfer in school and the transfer I 20 can then be issued to the student Once the student actually registers at the transfer in school the F transfer is completed by the DSO registering the student in the system For F students that do not already have a SEVIS record at the transfer out school the transfer in school should create a new record with an is
10. via the 800 until August 1 2003 When a student not yet entered in SEVIS transfers to another school the transfer in school will create the SEVIS transfer in record Therefore the transfer out school does not need to create a SEVIS record for the sole purpose of transferring the student to another school American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 3 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs just because the schools are being forced to exclusively use SEVIS for any student event Wants INS to regularize and expedite data entry A SEVIS is now electronically connected to the Bureau Service Center system As such once the Service adjudicates a benefit request the results of that adjudication are automatically updated in SEVIS and the students record status is changed accordingly In most cases the results of a Service Center adjudicated event such as change of status or INS authorized employment should be reflected in SEVIS even before the mailed results are received by the student In the case of reinstatement adjudications the Bureau district officers should be updating the results in SEVIS as soon as they make their final determination There was a point at which not all district officers had access to SEVIS and this was causing a time delay between the paper adjudication of SEVIS reinstatement requests and the system updates However this time delay should no longer e
11. an track the status of this student in the interim period Further the Bureau requests that the school either make sure that the student starts at the next available term or session ask the student to leave the US and re enter or failing those inform the Bureau of the student s failure to enroll In the specific case in question if the student was admitted on a non SEVIS Form l 20 and has since begun the program the student can be entered as a continuing student in SEVIS However if the student has not already begun the program the Bureau requests that the school contact the SEVIS Help Desk and be assisted in creating an appropriate SEVIS record for the student indicating commencement of studies at the next available term or session American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 8 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs Q What do do in cases where SEVIS does not allow me to reflect a student s current circumstances when creating a continuing student record A The Bureau is aware that in certain instances SEVIS does not allow for the current circumstances of a students status or program to be reflected when creating a continuing student record In many such cases the Bureau has already issued detailed instruction for entering these students directly to NAFSA This information can also be e mailed to schools from the SEVIS Help Desk These cases include e students with
12. authorizes travel for six months following the signature date Once that year or six month period has passed the same SEVIS l 20 can be re authorized for travel by having an official sign the next available line on the form Only once all of the signature lines have been used for travel authorization will page three of the form have to be re printed for travel Q Our school just issued a SEVIS I 20 to a student at our school who s starting a second degree Do we need to write anything on the students printed I 20 and or send it in to the INS Service Center A In the case of an F 1 student a change in program level at the same school and a transfer to another program or program level at another school can be authorized by a school official As such these changes do not require that anything be sent to the Service Center or District Office A SEVIS approved school may simply indicate the program level or institution change in SEVIS to meet their reporting requirement Q Is it legal for a student to work on campus during the 60 days after completion of studies American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 14 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs A Yes A student is still a valid F 1 nonimmigrant in this 60 day grace period and as such may engage in on campus employment if allowed by the school Q Can a student stay in the U S for the 60 days after OPT What if they are t
13. e being asked to change the CPT end date to match the CPT start date or the next possible date in cases where the start date has already passed when attempting to cancel a submitted CPT session The SEVIS Help Desk should be able to assist a caller in making this update should she he have any questions For OPT if the form has been mailed the only way to cancel the pending request is to contact the Service Center and have the application withdrawn This withdrawal will automatically cancel the pending request in SEVIS For OPT if the form has NOT been mailed to the Service Center the user should call the Help Desk and request that the Service change the record via an administrative correction The Help Desk may ask that the user fax certain documentation to track this requested change Q A student receives some sort of disciplinary sanction Are all incidents reportable events to the INS or only those that require loss of housing or expulsion from the college university American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 13 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs A The only disciplinary action against a student that a school is required to report in SEVIS is action taken against a student as a result of a crime conviction in accordance with the requirements of IIRIRA Updating SEVIS to indicate that disciplinary action has been taken as a result of a crime conviction does not
14. ents admitted as F 1 students into a program that was authorized for F 1 students at the time that they were admitted but that has since been changed by the Service to an M 1 authorized program will have to change status to M 1 However if the school chooses to appeal the Bureau decision to change the class of admission for the program students already admitted to that program will not have to change status until such time as that appeal is finalized and then only in accordance with the decision of that appeal Q How does the Bureau plan to notify schools of e Known system problems o Inthe case of known system bugs the Bureau identifies and priorities fixes but does not necessarily inform schools of all known problems If the problem is such that a school s normal business processes will be significantly impeded the fix will be given first priority Until the change can be made however the SEVIS Help Desk will be able to walk users through any interim processes and or assist users in having individual records fixed In some cases the Bureau will also send guidance directly to all schools via e mail and or communicate the problem and resolution plan to NAFSA o In cases where the system is inaccessible or is running slow for a period short enough that the Bureau does not believe users will be adversely affected the Bureau e will not make direct contact with each SEVIS school In those cases the Help Desk will be aware of any temp
15. fications with each system release o Batch system changes will generally be specified in ICD changes prior to the actual SEVIS system change Q How should a school handle countries in the address section not listed in the country of citizenship drop down list such as Palestinian Authority Serbia A The country of citizenship and country of birth tables in SEVIS come from lists of recognized countries and are updated as those lists change These lists are available on line from the Consular Affairs travel information website If a student is the citizen of a country listed by the Department of State Consular Affairs and the school official cannot find that country on the drop down menu in SEVIS the school official should call the Help Desk and specify this so that the Bureau can look into the discrepancy The Help Desk should then be able to assist the school in creating a record for that student Q What should be done in terms of SEVIS with a student who has been sick for 3 4 weeks His I 20 is almost expired and he wants to enroll in another Intensive English Program but needs several more weeks to recuperate before starting A A student can be authorized to drop below a full course of study for a medical condition or illness for up to 12 months aggregate in an academic program and up to 5 months aggregate in a vocational program When authorized to drop below a full course of study for an illness or medical condition the student may re
16. frain from taking any classes if warranted by the severity of the illness In this case the school official can extend the student s program authorize this student for a reduced course load for the period of time required for recuperation and then indicate that the student has regained a full course of study once the student has recuperated Q When does the SEVIS I 20 change from transfer pending to transfer complete Should we issue one or two l 20 s When issuing a transfer I 20 SEVIS will not accept a program start date before today s date American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 12 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs A For an F 1 student transfer the record at the transfer in school will appear on the students in transfer status list as soon as the transfer out school updates that student s record to show that a transfer will take place However the transfer in school will not actually be able to access and create the transfer in l 20 until the release date determined by the transfer out school has been reached Once the release date has been reached the transfer in school can access the partially completed transfer record from the transfer in list complete the rest of the form with information pertaining to that program and issue this transfer form to the student At that point the transfer form will indicate that the transfer is pending Once the student is
17. he new program and the total time spent between programs will still be less than 5 months how can reflect this in SEVIS A At this time SEVIS does not allow for a deferred program start for a student that is already in the U S In cases where a student that is supposed to transfer to a new program within the U S and wishes to defer the start of the transfer in program for a period not to exceed 5 months from the end of transfer out program the transfer in program school official should contact the SEVIS Help Desk so that the Bureau can assist the school in changing the program start date on the transfer record Q Can the Bureau clarify the DSO s responsibility for reporting to the Service on students that are in post completion OPT Answers follow questions below e When can a DSO recommend or choose not to recommend OPT authorization Cana school set their own procedures and standards for these recommendations o The Service has some specific terms of eligibility for a student to be authorized for post completion training one of which is the recommendation of an official of the school from which the student graduated A school official s recommendation that a student be authorized post completion practical training however is left to the discretion of that institution and should be based upon the standards or requirements of the institution e Is the student required to notify the Service of a change of address via the DSO rather tha
18. ially enroll in a program for which they have been issued a Non SEVIS I 20 or e Transfers out of a SEVIS school prior to be entered into SEVIS While it is not required that a SEVIS record be created at other points the P DSO may create the continuing student record at any other point that they choose and the Service encourages schools to create these records as soon as they are able to especially as the student s other personal or program information changes such as a change of address Q Several schools were concerned about the sluggishness of the system over the past weeks both in terms of how and when it would be fixed and what the Service would do to accommodate schools that were unable to update records due to this problem A On January 30 2003 six new servers were added to the SEVIS system enabling it to better handle any user overload The Bureau in part to accommodate schools experiencing problems using the system extended the deadline for entering any new students or new events to February 15 2003 Any I 20 s or forms issued on paper prior to this date will continue to be accepted by Bureau until August 1 2003 at which point schools should have all continuing foreign F and M students ie those issued an I 20 and registered at their school prior to 2 15 2003 entered into the system with all information being current as of the 8 1 2003 date Assuming a certain school runs on a regular two semester year excluding summer school
19. ining OPT application e Curricular practical training CPT authorization e Off campus employment application e Authorization to drop below a full course of study e Reinstatement request e Add a dependent e Changes to financial information e Travel signatures are full and a new I 20 must be issued to authorize subsequent travel e Replacement of lost damaged form e Transfer in e Change of degree level for example from BS to MS e Known F 1 major or field of study change and e Student that is leaving the U S and will need a new visa issued prior to re entry Undergraduates at colleges and universities dropping below a full course load during the last semester or term is not a reportable event as they are considered by definition to be enrolled in a full course of study during that last semester or term A student who was initially issued a Non SEVIS I 20 prior to February 15 2003 and whose l 20 issuance information was entered into ISEAS can still use that I 20 for visa issuance purposes prior to August 1 2003 Prepared by Jessica Campese Immigration and Naturalization Service March 2003 SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 2 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs Continuing student records do not have to be created prior to August 1 2003 solely for reporting when a student e Completes their current program graduates e Terminates their current program e Fails to init
20. n filing an AR 11 or is the DSO only to report known changes when the student reports to them rather than filing the AR 11 o A student should report a change of address via one of the DSOs who is in turn required to report this change of address in SEVIS even during periods of post completion OPT However the school will not be held responsible for failure to report a change of address that a student filed on an AR 11 so long as the school did not have knowledge of the address change or the AR 11 filing In general schools are encouraged to make it clear to their nonimmigrant students that all changes of address should be reported to the Bureau via the DSO and SEVIS e Is the DSO required to know that each student has obtained a job and that each student maintains that job for the length of their period of authorized OPT or is the DSO only required to report known instances of a student failing to secure or failing to maintain employment At this time the Service has not developed or issued specific regulations on the schools responsibility to verify that students in OPT obtain and maintain jobs However schools are required to maintain sufficient contact with the student to make the required address and status reports in SEVIS American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 10 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs Q During the SEVIS certification process the Distric
21. orary system slowness or inaccessibility and can advise individual schools that may have a particular need to report something in the system in that short period The Bureau does not anticipate the system being inaccessible for any significant period of time However in the case that there are unforeseen American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 11 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs circumstances and the system is inaccessible or abnormally slow for a period that may impact the business process of schools the Bureau is developing a contingency plan to allow schools to carry out their normal processes despite system problems While the details of this plan have not yet been finalized the Bureau would contact each school in such circumstances and advise them of any temporary processes This contact would most likely be via e mail e Implemented system changes o All major changes made to the system are implemented as part of specified system releases At this time the Bureau sends e mail notifications of each release to each SEVIS approved school Notifications include detailed explanations of the real time changes that impact the school s use of the system The Bureau is looking at adding SEVIS system alerts of these changes and will consider sending the alert e mail further in advance of the release At this time however schools should continue to expect these e mail noti
22. orm arrives at the school Having said that however schools should also be aware that the Service is phasing out the process of the Ports collecting students SEVIS Forms I 20 as this information is now being electronically updated The following is a summary of the new Service port of entry procedures for Forms l 20 STUDENT ENTRIES AT INS POE SEVIS I 20 PROCESSING For all SEVIS student initial entries e Notification of any student making an initial entry on a SEVIS Form I 20 is now being sent electronically to SEVIS All students entering the U S via land borders will be routed to secondary inspections where their entry information will be updated in SEVIS e At this time students entering at most air and seaports will not be admitted directly through the primary lane Ports may be establishing separate student lanes and may also route students through the standard secondary inspections lanes e DSOs should make students aware that processing at land air and seaports may take more time and should encourage students to plan travel and connecting flights accordingly e In all cases initial student entry information is being entered by the inspector and updated electronically in SEVIS Once the entry information is entered at the POE the student s date and port of entry information is automatically populated in the registration information screen on their student record and will appear on the alert list of students that have
23. p Answers Page 7 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs Q This school is an International English Program with students often attending for one session only Program and session dates are usually the same This being the case they are required to enter the next session start date as the program end date even though they dont have another session This causes them to routinely enter the Monday after the student has already left which then prompts a registration alert The SEVIS help desk said they couldn t help with this problem and for the school to just ignore the alerts A The Bureau plans to add a check box to the system to allow all schools to indicate that a student is in their last session This check box will be in used in place of the next session start date field for all students in their final session which would include those students that are enrolled in a single session program such as the one described above Until this functionality is added however the Help Desk is correct instructing schools to enter the program end date as the next session start date in the final session Regardless of whether or not the student appears on the registration alert list the student s record will change to completed status 60 days following the program end date for a student in an English language program The Bureau is aware that students are appearing on the registration alert list even though their program end date has passed This i
24. pdated in this single SEVIS record The SEVIS l 20 will only need to be re printed in instances where the update is one that requires that the form be sent to the Service Center or District Office or if the student has some other need for the updated information to appear on their current Form Q Our batch system is not up yet Can we use RTI before going to batch Can we use both RTI and batch together A Using RTI in no way precludes a school from transition to use of batch at a later date In fact all schools are now required to begin using SEVIS and therefore any school not yet using batch is required to use RTI at this time Further even once a school is using batch there are certain updates and SEVIS functions that will still only be available via RTI Q Is a student that has received a failing grade considered to be out of status A The regulations require students to be enrolled in full time studies and working toward an education goal A failing grade is not inconsistent with these requirements If the school places the American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 15 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs student on academic probation and suspends the student for a term or longer due to the failing grade so that the student is no longer enrolled in full time study or pursuing an educational objective it is possible to view the student as not maintaining status
25. ransferring schools or starting a new program A An F 1 student that is maintaining status may stay in the U S for up to 60 days following either the OPT end date or the program end date whichever is later Any M 1 student that is maintaining status may stay in the U S for up to 30 days following the OPT end date or the program end date whichever is later An F 1 student that is going to transfer or change program level must so initiate the transfer no more than 2 months after the end of their program or after the end of OPT whichever is later Further a transfer or change in program level may be initiated in the 60 days following the end of the authorized OPT period in the same manner that such an action can be initiated in the 60 days following completion of a program Q For each reportable event is a student entered into SEVIS as a continuing student Does the student receive a new l 20 for each reportable event so that the student may have multiple l 20 s A No A student that is currently enrolled at a school but has not yet had a SEVIS record created for them will need to be entered into SEVIS as a continuing student either at the next instance of a reportable event or prior to August 1 2003 whichever is sooner However once a student record has been created in SEVIS this is the only SEVIS record that the school should be maintaining for that student All subsequent reportable events and registration events will need to be u
26. reasons on the drop down menu A student that was issued a SEVIS I 20 for initial attendance is reported by the INS to have entered the US to attend that school and that fails to enroll should be terminated for a reason of no show However the school does not need to create a continuing record prior to August 1 2003 for the sole purpose of reporting a student s status violation Termination or no show of a student that is not already in SEVIS can be reported by calling the Service at the 800 prior to August 1 2003 Q What does a school do for the students who have had they re I 20 taken at the Port of Entry and the school has not received it yet A If the school knows that the student arrived and registered for the program they can register them in the system and wait for the form to arrive If the form does not arrive from KY in a timely fashion the P DSO can also re print a SEVIS l 20 for the student following SEVIS registration for an issuance reason of lost The Form printed after registration will indicate an issuance reason of continuing student rather than initial attendance Likewise if the school knows that the student did in fact enter through the POE to attend their school but the student fails to register the P DSO can terminate the SEVIS record for no show even if the mailed form has not yet been received The entry notification may appear on the SEVIS alert list of students that entered through the POE before the mailed f
27. registered at the transfer in school however the transfer is complete and the record will print with continued attendance as the issuance reason rather than transfer The school need only print the transfer I 20 but may re print the l 20 once the student registers indicating that the student is now a continuing student of that school if they wish to For an M 1 program transfer the transfer in school can access a partially completed transfer record from the transfer in list as soon as the transfer out school indicates that the student wishes to transfer The l 20 created by the transfer in school will indicate that the transfer is pending The l 20 showing this pending transfer request should be sent with the I 539 to the INS Service Center for adjudication If this application is still pending as of the program start date the student can effect the transfer and begin the new program However even after the student registers at the transfer in school the student record will continue to show the transfer as pending until the Service Center adjudicates the case Upon approval from the Service Center SEVIS will be automatically updated to reflect that the transfer is complete Q How do we cancel a recommendation for CPT OPT or an OPT still pending which the student did not mail in A For CPT the Service is adding the option to cancel the employment indication prior to it s begin date However until this functionality is added users ar
28. s a temporary problem in the system that will be fixed with the addition of the last session check box if not sooner While this creates confusion it poses no threat to the student s status because once the program end date has passed the student will not be terminated based on registration dates Q A DSO stated that a student issued a non SEVIS l 20 was initially admitted through an INS port of entry after the start date specified on the Form I 20 As such the student could not begin classes until the following semester Can she issue a continued attendance I 20 or does the student need to request reinstatement A In general a student should not be admitted through a US port of entry more than 30 days prior to the program start date and only up until that program start date If a student arrives at a POE with an l 20 issued for initial attendance in a program that has already begun the inspector may choose to try and contact the school and or deny entry However in the case stated above if a student is lawfully admitted through and DHS or Bureau POE they are in status and therefore do not need to apply for reinstatement even if admitted after the start of their program If the student is admitted past the program start date and cannot therefore begin the program in the expected term or session the Bureau requests that the school call the Help Desk so that the Bureau can assist the school in changing the students program start date and c
29. suance reason of transfer This will create an initial transfer in Form l 20 that can be issued to the student Once the student registers at the transfer in program the P DSO should register the student in the system The registration event at the transfer in school will complete the F student transfer An M student transfer because it is a Service adjudicated event involves a larger set of instructions which again are available on line in the Schools Users Manual and from the SEVIS Help Desk NOTE The Bureau is aware that some schools have experienced difficulties in identifying the correct transfer to school in the transfer menu because some multi campus institutions have several campuses with similar names The Bureau plans to add a list of SEVIS school codes to the transfer menus to allow for easier identification of the transfer out school in cases where school name is not sufficient However until this enhancement is in place schools that are unsure which transfer out school to choose from the list should call the SEVIS Help Desk for assistance Q How does a school report a student violator using the SEVIS system American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions amp Answers Page 5 ACE Division of Government and Public Affairs A If a student that is already in SEVIS violates the terms of their status the P DSO can report this by terminating the student in SEVIS for one of the termination
30. t Office asked that my school apply for M 1 student vocational program approval in addition to the F 1 academic program approval we had in the past and that my institution begin issuing M rather than F Forms l 20 for students being admitted to certain programs e We believe that some of the programs that we are now being asked to issue M student I 20s for are in fact academic and not vocational programs What if any recourse do we have as an institution to appeal the claim on the part of the Bureau that these programs are vocational rather than academic in nature o The Bureau retains the authority to determine a school s eligibility to issue Forms l 20 for either F 1 nonimmigrants in academic programs or M 1 nonimmigrants in vocational programs This includes the authority to determine which of these classes of admission is most appropriate for that program or institution seeking Service approval As part of the SEVIS school review and certification process it is possible that the local district office determined that a different class of admission than the one originally authorized is in fact more appropriate However the school does have the option to appeal this decision in accordance with the appeal processes defined at 8 CFR 103 3 e If we are required to begin issuing M Forms I 20 for programs in which we have already admitted F students under our previous approval do the F students in those programs need to change status to M 1 o Stud
31. tion themselves Students are now given a new admission number each time they enter SEVIS will keep an electronic record of all admission numbers and will update the student s record accordingly Q What does a school do when they are creating an I 20 and the student s choice of major is not listed on the dropdown menu The help desk told her to choose as similar major as possible Will doing this cause any problems in the future for the school or student A This table taken from Department of Education CIP major table was the best option for a standardized major field of study reporting system because the Department of Education can provide schools with a list of cross walks or name equivalencies allowing a school to merge their program name lists with the CIP table For a school whose field of study names do not yet match the CIP table the Service suggests that the school work with their institutional research office to get the Department of Education equivalents for their field of study designations Until all the field of study names are consistent with those in the Department of Education CIP tables however choosing the most similar major or area of study should not pose a problem for the student at a later date The Service is aware that the major field of study codes listed in the CIP table in SEVIS do not offer an exact match for all schools American Council on Education http www acenet edu SEVIS and SEVP Policy Questions am
32. xist and the district officers should be able to make timely updates to SEVIS when adjudicating reinstatements If a P DSO believes that a petition has been adjudicated and the result of that adjudication is not appearing in the system the P DSO should report this case to the SEVIS Help Desk for further investigation Q Does a students enrollment or failure to enroll in the summer term have to be reported in SEVIS Will the schools have to change the student s SEVIS status to part time just for that summer session Or is their student status based on what their course load is at the next required enrollment period A A students status of full time or part time is based on their course load during required periods of enrollment The school may report in SEVIS that a student is enrolled during a session that is not required such as a summer term but is not required to report this information Therefore a student not taking classes during an annual and or summer break from school does not need to be reported in SEVIS as having failed to enroll Q How is summer enrollment or summer annual vacation indicated in SEVIS A A students enrollment each term or session is reported via the registration dates in the student record Likewise these registration dates can be used to indicate annual breaks in a student s study The next session start date is simply the date of the next session that you anticipate the student registering for For example
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