SEVIS Newsletter - EPIC

SEVISSEVIS NewsletterStudent And Exchange Visitor Information System

NewsletterVol. 2, No. 1 • May 2005

A Message From Susan Geary, Acting Director SEVIS By The Numbers As Of April 30, 2005Total approved schools . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,014Total approved sponsors . . . . . . . . . . 1,463Active students and

exchange visitors. . . . . . . . . . . 724,981Active dependents of students

and exchange visitors . . . . . . . 120,579

Upcoming EventsPolicy• Frequently Asked Questions on E-Filing

for Reinstatement• Frequently Asked Questions on

Employment for F-1 and M-1 Visa Holders

• Interim Rule on Recertification• System of Records Notice• Privacy Impact AssessmentInformation Technology• Release 4.14/School Recertification

Functionality• Federal Advisory Council

Greetings from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)Fiscal Year 2004 brought us many opportunities to attend and participate in fall conferences.We value these opportunities tomeet with the Student andExchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) user communityand receive the feedback we need to maintain our focus on the important things—striking abalance between strengtheninghomeland security and ensuringstudents and exchange visitors aregiven the opportunity to study inthe United States.

We’re working to strike that bal-ance daily. The SEVP enjoysstrong support from within theDepartment of Homeland Security(DHS), from our counterparts atthe Department of State—both atthe Office of Exchange Coordina-tion and Designation and in theOffice of Consular Affairs—andfrom the Department of Education.Admittedly, some changes taketime to happen, but be assured that the SEVP’s leaders hear yourconcerns and continue to worktoward balanced solutions.

I encourage everyone to continuemonitoring our Web site(www.ice.gov/SEVIS). Our last quarter of 2004 was busy and productive. We successfullyimplemented a fourth fee pay-ment option with the help of Western Union. We added a new “Frequently Asked Question”specifically related to travel, andwe’ll update this section in thecoming year. Within the first fewweeks of February, we added our“SEVIS By the Numbers” feature, which provides a helpfulbreakdown of SEVIS statisticsabout the number of students,schools, exchange visitors andprogram sponsors in the system.Please bookmark our Web site andreview it regularly, since it’s ourprimary method of reaching all ofour major stakeholders and theSEVIS user community.

Fiscal Year 2005 is also bringing afew major initiatives that will helpimprove the program and SEVIS.These initiatives include workingtoward establishment of a FederalAdvisory Committee (a formalworking group comprised of sys-tem users), hiring a SEVIS LiaisonBranch Manager (our first step inestablishing a liaison position in

the field offices to work with thelocal educational community), and reviewing the feasibility ofgranting data correction capabili-ties to Principal/Designated School Officials. We look forwardto continuing to work with our stakeholder communities to ensure that we’re always focusedon striking a positive balance.

Susan Geary, Acting Director

SEVIS Data FixesAn Interview With Denise Mackie-Smith

Given the numberof questions we’vereceived about datafixes in the SEVISsystem, we’redevoting this issueto a fuller explo-ration of the topic.We asked DeniseMackie-Smith, SEVP’s BranchChief for Information Technology(IT), to respond to a few of themost commonly asked questions.

QUESTION: For those who may notbe familiar with data fixes,Denise, could you define thatterm for our readers?

ANSWER: A data fix is a request bya Principal/Designated SchoolOfficial (P/DSO) or ResponsibleOfficer/Alternate ResponsibleOfficer (RO/ARO) to change datain SEVIS. For example, a usermay request to change the educa-tion level of a student (F/M visa),or SEVIS may not have receivedan update from another interface.Thus, a student’s record must becorrected to reflect a pending orapproved change of status. Thereare several instances where a userwill request a data fix, but ulti-mately, the request is to perform adata change within SEVIS that theuser is unable to do.

QUESTION: There recently seems to be an increasing number of data fixes. What has caused this increase?

ANSWER: To begin with, let’s notethat data fixes have been aroundsince the start of the SEVIS pro-gram. In September 2004, afterextensive outreach to the educationcommunity, SEVP began to run

Denise Mackie-Smith

SEVIS Newsletter • Vol. 2, No. 1 • May 2005 Page 2

automatic maintenance jobs inSEVIS to terminate/cancel recordsthat did not receive requiredupdates by school officials for over60 days. These automatic jobs arenot unique to SEVIS—most ITsystems have an automated mecha-nism to maintain up-to-date infor-mation in the system.

The automatic jobs provided thefirst opportunity for SEVP toexamine across the board whetherschools were updating their stu-dents’ records in SEVIS. The auto-matic maintenance jobs ran fromSeptember to December 2004 andresulted in the termination of65,000 student records. At thesame time, SEVP experienced anincrease in the number of requestsfrom SEVIS users for data fixes.

Recently, SEVP has engaged intargeted outreach to the SEVISuser community to determine theroot cause of the high number ofterminated records and data fixrequests. What we learned is thatthere is no simple answer. For themost part, the schools believe thatthe 65,000 terminated studentrecords were terminated appropri-ately as duplicate records or asnon-registered records of studentswho never arrived at the campusto begin school. The schools alsopointed to various problems theyexperience when using SEVIS thatchallenge their ability to complywith SEVP requirements, such as alack of adequate training on howto use SEVIS; duplicate records oftheir students in SEVIS; and prob-lems with the interfaces betweenSEVIS and other IT systems.

SEVP is in the process of develop-ing a data integrity strategy toexamine the causes of the highnumber of data fixes.

QUESTION: Why does it take solong to get a data fix done?ANSWER: Data fixes take time toresolve. One data fix may includenumerous student/exchange visitorrecords. Plus, some data fixesrequire additional research and/oradditional documents are necessaryto complete the fix. To date, therehave been approximately 15,000data fix tickets opened, and wehave resolved all but about 6,600.

QUESTION: How are data fixesprocessed?ANSWER: Data fix requests are gen-erally processed in the orderreceived, with older requests beinggiven highest priority. Not all datafix requests are honored. However,due to the impact that an erro-neous record status can have on astudent or exchange visitor, emer-gency escalations are handled on acase-by-case basis to ensure stu-dents and exchange visitors withthe most urgent situations aregiven top priority. These scenariosmay include travel outside theUnited States within 30 days.

QUESTION: Can holders of J visasfile for reinstatement?ANSWER: The J-1 exchange visitordoes not have an established rein-statement process. Therefore,responsible officials have nochoice but to request a data fix tocorrect an erroneous record status.As a result, J data fix requests arerarely denied, as no alternativemeans of correction exists (e.g., reinstatement).

QUESTION: What has happened tothose J-2 records caught in the“transfer” glitch?ANSWER: As of January 28, 2005, aglobal data fix was completed thatcorrected the J-2 records continued

SEVIS Newsletter • Vol. 2, No. 1 • May 2005 Page 3

caught in the “transferred” status.Sponsors should now be able togenerate Form DS-2019 permittingdependents to apply for EAD or to travel.

QUESTION: Can the Help Deskprocess an extension for a J-1 student when the ResponsibleOfficial does not have the capability to do so in SEVIS?

ANSWER: The response to thisquestion depends on the natureand merit of the data fix itself. Thestatus of a SEVIS record ischanged to “Inactive” upon theexpiration of the program, whichis determined by the program enddate in SEVIS. However, (1) if therecord is inactive, and (2) themaximum duration of participationfor the category has not yet beenexceeded, and (3) the program enddate is not 120 days in the past,then the RO/ARO could completea “correction of a minor or techni-cal infraction” that is currentlyavailable in SEVIS and extend theprogram end date. This would per-mit the exchange visitor to partici-pate in their program while a datafix is pending (e.g., to correct theprogram begin date).

QUESTION: What can users do topossibly prevent the need for adata fix?

ANSWER: SEVP asks that P/DSOsand RO/AROs monitor the AlertLists in SEVIS and ensure thatstudents and exchange visitors areregistered in a timely manner.

Sponsors should also routinelymonitor the “Initial StatusExchange Visitor and Dependents”link located on the “Exchange Vis-itors and Dependent’s Menu” fortheir program. This link providesthe RO/ARO with a list of all the

EVs (and any dependents) whohave a SEVIS record created andsubmitted to SEVIS but have NOTbeen validated. The RO/ARO canmonitor the SEVIS records todetermine if the status of anexchange visitor’s record is aboutto be changed to “Invalid” by oneof the SEVIS maintenance jobs.

In addition, SEVP recommendsthat P/DSOs instruct their studentsto communicate their intentionsfor summer travel, optional practi-cal training, etc., to their schoolofficials at least 45 days prior tothe end of the current session ortheir expected graduation date, sothat the students’ SEVIS recordsmay be updated appropriately.

QUESTION: Anything else to add?

ANSWER: One important reminder I would like to add is that allP/DSOs continue to defer attendance for your students who are reaching their programstart date or have passed it. This is especially true in the casewhere your student has a pendingChange of Status request, as we

do not want to prematurely cancel or terminate any records.More information will be forth-coming in a SEVIS BroadcastNotice. SEVIS user manuals areupdated with every new SEVISrelease and can be found online at www.ice.gov/SEVIS.

Also, RO/AROs must continue toamend the program start date fornonimmigrants who are arrivinglate or who are delayed in the visa issuance process and to validate the participation of a nonimmigrant once they havearrived. SEVIS user manuals areupdated with every new SEVISrelease and are also found on theDepartment of State’s Web site:http://exchanges.state.gov/education/jexchanges/.

I would like to thank the entireuser community for their input,patience and willingness to sug-gest solutions. We all benefit fromthis high level of communityinvolvement. I would like to espe-cially thank those who have doneit right and have worked the alertlists tirelessly.

Internationalstudents andexchange visitorsseeking to study in the United States will now be able to monitorthe status of theirSEVIS fee paymentonline at thewww.fmjfee.comWeb site—thelatest program

enhancement toprovide enhancedconvenience andcustomer service for the SEVIScommunity.

ing students and exchange visitorswith fee payment issues to e-mailus at [email protected].

Latest News on SEVIS I-901 FeePayment OptionsThe most significant news onSEVIS I-901 fee payment is theever-growing use of the WesternUnion QuickPay option that wasestablished in November. Whilethis option was initially used predominantly by Chinese andMongolian students, WesternUnion is increasingly being usedfor SEVIS payments in countriesaround the globe.

As of April 30, 2005, there havebeen 266,091 payments processed,and there was an error rate of lessthan 0.1 percent. Refund requestsare usually processed in less than a week.

SEVIS Newsletter • Vol. 2, No. 1 • May 2005 Page 4

Update On SchoolRecertificationThe interim rule on school recertification is in the DHSreview process. All schools will be given adequate time and guidance to prepare for and petition for recertification.

User access to SEVIS will continue as usual throughout the application process and adjudication phases. Schools will continue to be authorized to enroll nonimmigrant F/M students until they have had full opportunity to petition forrecertification, as well as whiletheir petition for recertification is pending approval.

The recertification process willconfirm that schools are comply-ing with SEVIS requirements. Inaddition, SEVP will review stu-dent records in SEVIS as well asupdates in programs of study,advertising, record-keeping andother areas.

A New LookThe Evolving SEVP Web Site

In response to suggestions fromstakeholders, the SEVP home pagehas undergone another revision tohelp users detect breaking news.The student and school buttonshave been moved to the resourcecolumn to free their space on thehome page and to accentuateissues and processes that are time sensitive. As of January 2005, this space has been used to highlight a new set of “Frequently Asked Questions” on travel and re-entry of F-1s and M-1s and their dependents.

The “Contact Us” box has beenrevised to encourage newly enter-

Contact Us• For II-9901 ffee ppayment hhelp: Visit the SEVP Web site at www.ice.gov/sevis/i901. You can

also call the I-901 Customer Service hotline at 785-3330-11048 (United States CountryCode 011) or e-mail us at [email protected].

• For qquestions ppertaining tto yyour sspecific sschool oor eexchange vvisitor pprogram, contact theperson listed on your Form I-20 or DS-2019.

_____________________________________________________________________________• For sschools aand pprograms, contact the following for all other technical questions: the

SEVIS Help Desk at 800-8892-44829 between 8 A.M. and 8 P.M. Eastern Time or by e-mailat [email protected] for assistance and support. For specific technical, urgentcases: [email protected]

• For sschool ccertification qquestions: To check the status of an I-17 petition, confirm receiptof payment or to receive information on a site visit, contact the SEVP School CertificationBranch at [email protected] or 202-3305-22346 or by fax at 202-3353-33723.The School Certification Branch is organized on a state-by-state basis. If a schooladministrator contacts the School Certification Branch, our staff will direct the call ormessage to the Case Analyst working with the schools in that state.

_____________________________________________________________________________SEVIS’ commitment to the continual process of improvement begins with your comments,concerns, or suggestions. Please contact SEVIS:

By email: [email protected] By mail: ICE/SEVIS By phone: 202-3305-22346 800 KK SStreet, NNW, SSuite 11000By fax: 202-3353-33723 Washington, DD.C. 220536

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