Being certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) to enroll F and/or M students is a great responsibility. SEVP works to protect the United States by monitoring F and M students and by ensuring legitimate F and M students attend SEVP-certified schools.

SEVP-certified schools are a part of the nonimmigrant process. Officials follow U.S. government regulations that apply to enrolling F and/or M students. If you are a designated school official (DSO) at an SEVP-certified school or currently in the process of applying for certification for your school, do you know all of your certification responsibilities?

Here is a quick overview:

• If you are the principal designated school official, you must update your school’s Form I-17, “Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by Nonimmigrant Student,” whenever a material change occurs. A material change is a change to any field on the Form I-17. Examples include a change of phone number or e-mail address.
• You must apply for recertification every two years in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). For more instructions on filing for recertification, visit our Tips to Navigating the Recertification Process page.
• All DSOs must report any changes to student information in SEVIS.  For example, if an F or M student moves or changes employment, you must immediately update the student’s SEVIS record.
• If your school is non-compliant, you must be prepared for SEVP to perform an on-site review. During this review SEVP will examine facilities and records storage and conduct interviews.

For more information on SEVP-certification, visit our School Certification portal.