School officials use the Form I-17, “Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by Nonimmigrant Student,” to apply for certification with the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Having certification means that schools can enroll nonimmigrant students, and designated school officials (DSOs) issue Forms I-20, "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status". This is a great responsibility the Department of Homeland Security entrusts to DSOs at SEVP-certified schools, so it is important for school officials to keep up with certification responsibilities.

One of the most important steps in the application process is proofreading your school’s Form I-17 petition before submission in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Doing so will make it easier for your school’s petition to move through the certification process as efficiently as possible. Even something as simple as a misspelling in the school name may cause delays in adjudication. So, the first step to minimizing processing time for your petition is double checking all of the information you have entered.

Once your school is SEVP-certified, another important responsibility is making updates to your school’s Form I-17 in SEVIS. Regulations require that DSOs at SEVP-certified schools report any material changes to the Form I-17. A material change is a change to any field on the Form I-17. This means that if your Form I-17 does not match your school’s current operating status, you must log in to SEVIS and make the updates. For example, if DSO contact information is not correct in SEVIS, you may miss important messages from SEVP.

Review your school’s Form I-17 periodically to make sure the information is current. SEVP must adjudicate most updates, and some may require additional evidence – both of which take time. This is especially important if your school’s certification expiration date is approaching and you need to apply for recertification, which you cannot do until SEVP has adjudicated all updates.

If you have any questions about the updates process, please contact SEVP at 703-603-3400 or sevp@ice.dhs.gov. If you have problems making updates in SEVIS, contact the SEVIS Help Desk at 800-892-4829 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. ET. You can also send an e-mail to SEVISHelpdesk@ice.dhs.gov.