SEVIS enables electronic reporting and monitoring of international nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors (EVs) and their dependents in the United States. SEVIS enables schools and program sponsors to report information to the DHS and the Department of State throughout a student’s or EV’s program in the United States.

SEVIS allows school officials – Primary Designated School Officials (PDSO) and Designated School Officials (DSO) – to submit their certification applications, update that information, and submit updates that require adjudication. They can create and update F‑1 (academic) and M‑1 (vocational) student and dependent records. DHS Managers and Adjudicators can adjudicate updates made to school records using SEVIS. PDSOs are notified of the adjudication results through SEVIS.

Accessing SEVIS requires a permanent user identification (ID) and password. These allow users to process Forms I‑20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status), view alerts on students, and view and print reports.

All Forms I‑20 issued by the school for initial attendance by a new student must be created in and issued from SEVIS. Once a student is registered in SEVIS, the school must update the student’s record and report on the events required by SEVIS. DHS published a final rule in the Federal Register, 67 FR 76256 (December 11, 2002) to implement the new SEVIS requirements and establish a process for electronic reporting by DSOs. This rule outlines the student events reporting and information collection required by schools using SEVIS. Additionally, each school official associated with a school enrolled in SEVIS is sent information regarding the specific reporting requirements with his/her permanent SEVIS user ID.

SEVIS is for authorized users only. Individuals using SEVIS without authority, or in excess of their authority, are subject to having their activities monitored and recorded by system personnel. The activities of authorized users may also be monitored. Anyone using SEVIS expressly consents to such monitoring. If the monitoring reveals evidence of criminal activity, system personnel may provide evidence to law enforcement officials. DHS has designated SEVIS to be a Privacy Act system of records. SEVIS information will be used and disclosed in accordance with 5 U.S.C. §552a, Privacy Act of 1974, as amended.

SEVIS was developed to maintain multiple levels of security in both the real-time and batch systems to help protect against unauthorized access. One of the most important actions you can take is to safeguard your user ID and password. Your SEVIS user ID and password are intended for your use only. Do not share your user ID and password with any other person. Do not keep a written record of them in a location that can be accessed by others.

If you suspect your password has been compromised, you can reset it using the Change Password link on the Navigation Bar. You can also use the Request Password Reset link on the SEVIS Login page located at https://egov.ice.gov/sevis. Or, you can contact the SEVIS Help Desk at (800) 892 4829 (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday) to have your password reset.

If you believe an unauthorized person has gained access to international student or exchange visitor data in one of your internal systems (for example, local batch system) or if you believe an unauthorized person has gained access to SEVIS, please notify the DHS Help Desk immediately at (888) 347 7762. The DHS Help Desk is staffed 24 hours a day and can assist with security concerns only. All other SEVIS concerns or questions should still be directed to the SEVIS Help Desk at (800) 892 4829 (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday). When calling the DHS Help Desk to report a security concern, it will be helpful to have the name(s) and contact information for the PDSO/DSO, Responsible Officer/Alternate Responsible Officer (RO/ARO), and school or program technical and security contacts, as appropriate.

The DHS Help Desk will contact SEVP immediately. SEVP will work with you to take appropriate steps to protect and prevent loss of SEVIS information. Actions taken may include issuing new SEVIS user IDs and passwords as well as loading new security certificates for the SEVIS batch upload process, if applicable. Additionally, school and sponsor officials who believe that their internal systems may have been compromised should follow their local formal security procedures.

System security is a serious matter. SEVP is committed to addressing any system security concerns or issues that may arise.

If you need assistance, please contact the SEVP Response Center at (888) 347-7762.