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

Look Forward to Summer with these SEVP Resources

Happy spring semester! As the school year begins to close, we hope you have a smooth transition to the summer. While you continue to support your school’s international students, I hope these new resources from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) will help you and your students wrap up their semester.

I wanted to share some new resources for Special Student Relief (SSR). When helping students determine their eligibility for SSR and claim the benefit, this SSR Fact Sheet answers common questions on eligibility. To find a full list of active SSR notices, visit the What’s New page on ICE.gov/SEVP; SSR extension and redesignation notices for Somalia and Haiti were published this year.

SEVP also recently published record keeping reminders to help ensure accurate data in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Keep in mind that federal regulation requires designated school officials (DSOs) to report changes to school and student information within 21 days of the change. Use this published resource to support record keeping for your school and students.

In addition, make sure you share these reminders with your international students about working with recruiters to help them identify potential scams—it’s especially important to remind your students that recruiters should have no role in handling the Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.”

Lastly, as the school year comes to a close, revisit these resources on international student employment and share them with your students:

• DSOs: Resources for Determining Whether There is a Direct Relationship Between a Job and Course of Study.
• Learn About the Types of Practical Training for F-1 Students.
• Recognize the Signs of a Potentially Fraudulent Employer.

We hope you have a wonderful rest of your semester. As always, you can visit Study in the States for help with any questions you may have. Thank you for your continued support.

Best,

Rachel Canty