Conference Circuit: Stakeholder Questions is a blog series on Study in the States that answers questions that stakeholders ask at conferences. Representatives from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) frequently attend and participate in international education conferences in person and via teleconference or webinars. If you would like to view SEVP’s conference presentation, read our monthly Conference Bulletin, or take our Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey, visit our Conference Materials page.

SEVP participates in conferences hosted by academic associations to engage with school officials and answer questions related to the F and M student process. This season, SEVP took part in 12 conferences.

Here are answers to some of the questions stakeholders asked at this season’s conferences:

• Can designated school officials (DSOs) work in the admissions office to recruit F and/or M students? A DSO is a school employee who does not receive income in the form of commissions for recruiting F and/or M students. Anyone whose level of income is not determined by the number of F and/or M students approved for enrollment may qualify for the DSO role.
• What is the process for updating my school’s Form I-17, “Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by Nonimmigrant Student”? When any of your school information on the Form I-17 changes, you must update the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). To update, just log into SEVIS and edit your Form I-17. Most updates will require SEVP adjudication. If yours does, until you receive a message of approval from SEVIS, recognize that SEVP has not adjudicated your update. Therefore, it is not part of your approved SEVP certification. If your update is unclear or if SEVP cannot accept it, then SEVP may deny or cancel it. If SEVP denies or cancels your update, your Form I-17 remains at its previously approved certification status.
• Can a school official add a new program to the Form I-17 before the program has started? No. School officials can apply for certification only for an established school or program. Being previously established gives credibility that the school will provide a legitimate and fulfilling educational experience for students.
• How do I make a change to school SEVIS information and the Form I-17 after submitting a petition for recertification? While you should ensure all of your information is accurate before submitting your recertification package in SEVIS, information sometimes changes while its adjudication is pending. If this happens for you, send an e-mail to recert.sevis@ice.dhs.gov with the name of your school, the school code and the requested change. Remember, you must report changes to the school’s leadership or location changes immediately.
• Can you explain SEVP’s draft guidance opportunities? SEVP releases draft or interim guidance for public comment so those students or school officials affected by these proposed changes have an opportunity to provide comment before the guidance is released as final. Each comment period lasts for 45 days, and the public can submit comments via e-mail. Visit the SEVP Guidance for Comment page to learn more about pending and finalized guidance. It is important to remember that when SEVP posts feedback opportunities, the guidance is in draft or interim form and SEVP is still clarifying its policies. SEVP will not look for compliance with guidance until policies have matured and we post the guidance as final.

To learn more about SEVP and conferences, visit our conference materials page and watch the Fall/Winter 2013 conference presentation.