Note: The Department of Defense is not currently accepting MAVNI applications for FY 17 while it is revising its MAVNI implementation plan. Once it begins to accept enlistments, SEVP will provide additional information at that time. For more information please visit the What is MAVNI? Resource page.

May is National Military Appreciation Month. To help recognize the importance of military service, we highlight the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program.

MAVNI allows certain non-citizens who are legally present in the United States, including F and M international students, to join the U.S. armed forces and apply immediately for U.S. citizenship.

The program is open only to nonimmigrant visa holders who have critical healthcare skills and/or who are experts in certain languages with associated cultural backgrounds.

To help designated school officials (DSOs) understand how MAVNI relates to F and M students, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement published F and M Nonimmigrants and MAVNI: A Guide for Designated School Officials, available on ICE.gov.

The guide includes important information DSOs must know, including:

• When to terminate the MAVNI participant’s record in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System.
• What to do if the MAVNI participant does not pass basic training and wants to attend school again.
• What to do if a student participating in optional practical training enlists through MAVNI.
• How MAVNI may impact a dependent’s status.

If you are a DSO who has a student interested and eligible for MAVNI, please urge them to apply for naturalization as soon as possible after enlisting in the U.S. armed forces. However you should not terminate the student’s record in SEVIS until after the student can no longer maintain F or M status.

To learn more about MAVNI, download the ICE fact sheet.