Cancel SEVIS Record in Initial Status

When a student in Initial status decides not to study at your school, the designated school official (DSO) must cancel the student’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record to:

Help ensure school compliance.
Prevent the student from using your school’s Form I-20 to enter the country later.

You should cancel the student’s SEVIS record within 30 days of the Initial Session Start Date if both of the following are true:

Student will not attend your school.
Student has not entered the United States using the Form I-20 your school issued.

If a school fails to meet the reporting deadline, SEVIS will automatically cancel any Initial records without port of entry data 60 days after the record’s Program Start Date.
Any SEVIS I-901 fee payments linked to a canceled Form I-20 can be moved to another Form I-20 using the I-901 Fee Transfer process.
If the student has used your school’s Form I-20 to enter the United States and plans to:
- Transfer to another SEVP-certified school, you should initiate a student transfer. For more information, see the SEVIS Help Hub article Initiate Transfer for Students in Initial Status.
- Depart the United States immediately, you should register the SEVIS record and terminate the student for authorized early withdrawal.

For relevant federal regulations and additional information, see:

8 CFR 214.3(g)(2)(iii) for regulations on SEVIS registration and reporting requirements
SEVP Policy Guidance for Adjudicators 1408-01: Academic Year
Manage Initial Program and Session Dates article on SEVIS Help Hub

To cancel a SEVIS record in Initial status:

1. Go to the Student Information page.

Student information page with Cancel Student function in red.

2. Click Cancel Student. The Cancel Student page opens.

3. Select the reason for cancelation from the Cancelation Reason drop-down menu (required). Options include:

Failure to repay the I-901 Fee Chargeback
Offer withdrawn
Record created in error
Student arrived under different SEVIS ID
Student not attending
Student registered under different SEVIS ID
Visa issued for different SEVIS ID

4. Enter any relevant information regarding the cancelation in the Remarks field.

5. Click one of the following:

Cancel Student: Cancels the SEVIS record. Opens the Update Successful page.
Reset Values: Clears all fields.
Cancel: Cancels the action and returns to the Student Information page.

6. Click Return to View Record to return to the Student Information page. The record status is now canceled.

Student information page with canceled status and cancelation reason in red.

To correct a student record canceled in error:

PDSOs can return a canceled record to Initial status within 15 days of the record cancelation. (See the SEVIS Help Hub article, PDSO Record Correction.)
DSOs can submit a correction. (See the SEVIS Help Hub article, Change to Student Status.)
For more complicated data fixes, the DSO can contact the SEVP Response Center (SRC) via phone at 703-603-3400 or 1-800-892-4829 or via email at SEVP@ice.dhs.gov.

SEVIS Help Hub