During the Feb. 18 Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Ask the Experts webinar, federal adjudicators delivered two important program updates:

• Beginning March 31, 2016, SEVP will provide adjudication decisions for new principal designated school official (PDSO) and designated school official (DSO) updates within 10 business days of receipt, as long as requests include complete and accurate supporting documentation.
• SEVP decreased the average number of PDSO and DSO update backlog cases by more than 70 percent, and is on track to meet its goal of eliminating the current backlog by close of business on March 25, 2016.

The SEVP adjudicators also reminded school officials to:

• Submit all PDSO and DSO update requests separately from other Form I-17, “Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by Nonimmigrant Student,” updates in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
• Gather and prepare all signatures and supporting evidence to ensure timely processing and avoid receiving a request for evidence (RFE). If you receive an RFE, it is important that you respond as soon as possible to prevent denial of the update.
• Send update requests outside of SEVIS if your school is in the process of recertification and has a locked petition. You can find more information about this process on the DSO Update Process Fact Sheet.

This webinar, which focused on the new process for PDSO/DSO updates to the Form I-17, is part of the recently launched webinar series for school officials. You can access a full recording of the webinar online. Want more information about the PDSO and DSO update process? Additional resources are available on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s website and in the SEVIS Help Hub.

Tune in to future webinars to hear directly from SEVP about program updates and other important information related to the international student life cycle.