In their role as direct day‑to‑day liaisons between the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and certified schools, field representatives meet with designated school officials (DSOs) in order to:

• Build working relationships with school officials.
• Learn more about the school and its international student population.
• Help DSOs with SEVP updates and the recertification process.
• Note any trends the school has experienced or observed.
• Answer questions concerning federal regulations, upcoming Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) enhancements and other general topics.
• Provide clarification on SEVP directives or guidance.

Field representatives schedule appointments with schools by initially sending an email to DSOs. Within this email, the field representative will include a proposed meeting agenda. The field representative will then send a courtesy note reminding the DSO of the meeting and confirming the date and time. Upon arrival to the school, the field representative will present his or her U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) credentials prior to beginning the meeting. 

Field representatives aim to meet with all SEVP-certified schools in their territory at least once per year, regardless of whether the school currently enrolls active F and M students. However, if a certified school does have active F and M students enrolled, the field representative will attempt to meet with those school officials twice per year.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding field representatives, please contact the SEVP Response Center.

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