Official website of the Department of Homeland Security
SEVIS Release 6.23 Planning Guide
Last updated 11-Dec-2015
This planning guide is intended to help SEVIS users prepare for SEVIS Release 6.23.
Scheduled release date: December 6, 2015
Functionality in the Release
| Functionality | Affects F/M SEVIS | Affects J SEVIS | Affects Batch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redesigned log in page | Yes | Yes | No |
| OPT Authorization | Yes | No | Yes |
| Add, Edit Delete OPT Employer | Yes | No | Yes |
| Improved Employment Information Page | Yes | No | No |
| F/M Student Telephone | Yes | No | Yes |
| F/M Student Email | Yes | No | Yes |
| Improved Event History | Yes | Yes | No |
| Changed look of Student Information block on SEVIS pages | Yes | No | No |
| Annual Verification of School/Sponsor Officials | Yes | Yes | No |
| Update Shorten Program for Exchange Visitors | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bar code no longer prints on Form DS-2019 | No | Yes | No |
| Form I-20 Changes | Yes | No | No |
| Government User Profile | No | No | Yes |
Release Resources
- Demonstration: Add, Edit, Cancel OPT Authorization
- Demonstration: Add, Edit, or Delete OPT Employer
- Demonstration: Understanding the Employment Information Page
- Fact Sheet: Changes to Form I-20
- User Guide: View Employment Information
- Job Aid: F/M Student Telephone and Email Address
- User Guide: Event History
- User Guide: F-1 Optional Practical Training
- User Guide: Add, Edit, Delete OPT Employer
- User Guide: M-1 Practical Training
- User Guide: Employment Information Page
- User Guide: Government User Profile
- Webinar Recording: October 2, 2015 OPT Webinar
- FAQ October 2, 2015 OPT Webinar
- Webinar Recording: November 6, 2015 SEVIS 6.23 Pre-Release Webinar
System Unavailability
| Outage Begins | Outage Scheduled to End |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM ET Sunday December 6, 2015 | 8:00 AM ET Monday December 7, 2015 |
Currently, SEVP expects the outage to last roughly 32 hours.
Batch Users
Schools and sponsors that use third-party software to push data to SEVIS must plan their batch uploads carefully.
| Critical Date/Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM ET December 6, 2015 to 8:00 AM ET Monday December 7, 2015 | SEVIS is unavailable for batch uploads. |
No warnings issued at this time
Systems Affected by SEVIS Outages
SEVP hopes to minimize the effect of the outage by deploying the release over a weekend. However, SEVIS data is used by many systems all over the world. The following processes and systems are affected when SEVIS is not available:
| System | During the Outage |
|---|---|
| I-901 (SEVIS) Fee | I-901 system cannot process payments. Students and Exchange visitors must either pay ahead of time or wait until SEVIS is online again. |
| Social Security Numbers (SSN) | Social Security cannot confirm F, M, or J status for anyone. Those needing an SSN should either apply before the outage or wait until SEVIS is online again. |
| SAVE | SAVE agents cannot verify the F, M, or J status for anyone. Verification requests should either be submitted before the outage or after SEVIS is online again. |
| E-Verify | SAVE agents cannot confirm the status of anyone in F, M, or J status. Employers should verify those employees before the outage or wait until SEVIS is online again. |
| Visa Applications | Consular officers at U.S. embassies and consulates can view SEVIS data in their own system. It might not be up-to-date. Some visa applications may be delayed until the data feed from SEVIS is restored. |
| Ports of Entry | Customs and Border Protection officers can verify admissibility using stale data. Anyone seeking F, M, or J status may be sent to secondary inspection for processing. Officers in secondary inspection cannot access SEVIS to verify F, J, or M nonimmigrants’ SEVIS status. |
| State Departments of Motor Vehicles | DMV agents cannot verify the F, M, or J status of applicants for driver’s licenses or state IDs. Nonimmigrants needing a state driver’s licenses/ID card should either apply before the outage or wait until SEVIS is online again. |