Welcome to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Spotlight, a quarterly newsletter for the academic community that includes important program news, seasonal reminders, and updates relevant to the international student life cycle. As of July 2020, SEVP Spotlight consists of an update from the SEVP director.

Director's Corner

Summer Reminders and Updates

Congratulations to each of you as you wrap up another successful school year. As many schools prepare to end or have already ended their current terms, please review these updates and reminders from SEVP to ensure you are up to date and ready for summer.

This spring, SEVP shared our annual 2023 SEVIS by the Numbers report, which highlights key Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) data, including where nonimmigrant students come from, what they study, and where they go within the United States to study. The total number of SEVIS records for active F-1 and M-1 students increased by 10.4 percent from calendar year 2022 and represented the largest number of records since calendar year 2019. Additionally,

• 7,417 SEVP-certified schools were eligible to enroll international students. 
• All four regions in the United States saw an increase in international student records from 2022 to 2023, with respective increases ranging from 5.7 in the West to 13.4 percent in the South. 
• There were 160,627 pre- and post-completion optional practical training (OPT) students with both an employment authorization document (EAD) and who reported working for an employer in calendar year 2023, compared to 117,301 in calendar year 2022 —a 36.9 percent increase.

All previous SEVIS by the Numbers reports can be accessed on HSI.gov/SEVP under the new SEVIS by the Numbers Reports section. 

Summer is a time of increased travel and employment activity among international students. Direct students to the Traveling as an International Student page, which includes a new section on the Form I-94, “Arrival/Departure Record.” If students have questions about the employment process, they can visit the Working in the United States page.

As always, please visit Study in the States on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay up to date throughout this season. Thank you all for your hard work as the semester comes to an end, and for your continued support.

Respectfully, 

Jim Hicks