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

SEVP: Prepare to Start Your School Year with These Resources

Welcome back to a new school year! As you are settling into your classrooms and offices, we wanted to remind you about several resources to help prepare for emergency events.

During this National Preparedness Month, SEVP and our government partners would like to remind you about the importance of having a conversation on emergency preparedness with your school and students. We understand that talking about these types of events is difficult, but it’s the best way to proactively help ensure the safety of everyone. To help start conversations, review the preparation toolkit on Ready.Gov and the Emergency Resources: Prepare and Stay Safe infographic on Study in the States.

If you need additional support, SEVP field representatives can help your school comply with policies and regulations. Their job is to act as direct, day-to-day liaisons between SEVP and SEVP-certified schools. In fact, 89 percent of field representatives have a background in education and previously served as designated school officials. To learn more facts about SEVP field representatives, visit the Get to Know SEVP’s Field Representatives blog on Study in the States.

In case you missed it, I also wanted to reshare these recent updates and reminders from SEVP:

• In July 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) updated the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List to include one additional Classification of Instructional Program code.
• Visit the Student Transfer Resource Roundup for reminders about international student transfer policies and regulations.
• The SEVP Response Center launched a new telephone system for both domestic and international callers on Sept. 23, 2024. This new system provides stakeholders with an interactive voice response menu that allows callers to choose various options.
• Sept. 30, 2024, will be the last day Form I-515A, “Notice to Student or Exchange Visitor,” documentation sent via mail will be accepted by SEVP. After this date, student and exchange visitors who receive a Form I-515A will be instructed to email their required documentation to the SEVP Form I-515A Processing Team at SEVIS.I-515@ice.dhs.gov instead of mailing the documents to SEVP. This change will expedite Form I-515A processing times while eliminating the costs and risks associated with mailing original documents.

You can also follow Study in the States on X, Facebook and SEVP on LinkedIn for additional tips and resources.

Thank you as always for your hard work and dedication in creating a safe environment for students. Wishing you a safe and successful semester!

Respectfully,

Jim Hicks