The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) will notify certified schools every two years from the date of their initial certification or last certification expiration date (CED) to apply for recertification to ensure they have:

• Remained eligible for certification.
• Complied with all recordkeeping, retention, reporting, and other requirements, in accordance with the regulations.

Certification Expiration Dates

The certification expiration date (CED) is the date by which the school must apply for recertification. SEVIS assigns the CED based on when your received initial certification or last recertification approval.

180 days before a school’s CED, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) notifies designated school officials (DSOs) that the school is eligible to apply for recertification.

School officials must be familiar with the federal regulations and policies, which govern schools that sponsor international students for F-1 or M-1 status. These regulations detail the school’s:

• Responsibilities for managing their programs.
• Legal reporting requirements.

The following resources provide useful information to guide you through the recertification process:

To submit for recertification, principal designated school officials (PDSOs) at the main instructional site must:

• Pay the recertification filing fee.
• Log in to SEVIS to apply for recertification from the School Information page.
• Edit the Form I-17 to reflect any changes to the petition.

• Upload a complete recertification package through SEVIS to SEVP at the same time you apply for recertification.

Electronic Notifications

SEVIS reminds the DSOs of their school’s recertification deadline in three ways:

Email Notices

SEVIS sends several email notifications to school officials, informing them of the need to apply for recertification. Emails are sent at 180, 90, and 30 days before the filing deadline. SEVP sends the emails to all the school’s DSO-email addresses that are listed in SEVIS.

Notice Upon Login

180 days before a school’s certification expiration date, SEVIS displays a recertification notice upon login. All DSOs at the school see this message.

Flag on the Listing of Schools Pages

SEVIS displays a star icon next to the name of the school that must apply for recertification.

Failure to Submit a Complete Petition

SEVP will serve a Notice of Intent to Withdraw (NOIW) to the school 30 days prior to a school's certification expiration date. If the school does not petition for recertification, abandons its petition, or does not submit a complete recertification petition package by the certification expiration date, SEVP will immediately withdraw the school’s certification.

Fees 

Effective June 24, 2019, there is a $1,250.00 fee associated with submitting for recertification. You must upload proof of payment at the time you submit your petition for recertification.

Apply for Recertification

To start the recertification application, go to the School Information page.

1. Click the Apply for Recertification link. The Recertification Electronic Attestation page opens. 

2. Click Cancel or Continue:
   • Cancel – Returns you to the School Information page without filing the recertification petition.
   • Continue – Opens the Edit School Information: Contact Information page for editing the Form I-17 petition.

3. Make edits on any of the Form I-17 pages, if necessary. When finished, or if there are no changes, click Submit from the left navigation pane. The Edit School Information (Form I-17) - Submit page opens.

4. Click View Edits to open a review page that displays the changes you made to the Form I-17. Click Close when finished viewing.
5. Ensure all supporting documentation is ready to upload. If the petition update requires a signed Form I-17, click Print Petition at the bottom of this page, and collect the required signatures.

6. Check the PDSO Attestation checkbox.
7. Enter your SEVIS password to sign the recertification petition. 
8. Click Continue only when the school is ready to submit the petition along with ALL required supporting documentation. The Upload Evidence: Form I-17 page opens.
    

Upload Complete Recertification Package

Completing the petition is the first step. You must upload a complete recertification package in SEVIS. A complete recertification package includes:

• Signed Form I-17, which requires signatures on the Form I-17-A Record of Designated School Officials.

• Payment Tracking ID from pay.gov for proof of payment of the recertification filing fee.
• Additional required evidence based on your school type and accreditations.
• Evidence supporting any petition edits made during recertification.

1. Click Upload Evidence.
2. Click Browse to select a file. Select an Evidence Type from the drop down list.

3. Click Upload to send the file to SEVP. Click Cancel to cancel upload. 

4. Repeat steps 2-3 until you provide all documentation.
   1. Click Submit Petition to certify that all evidence has been uploaded. A message displays confirming the completion of the process.
   2. Click OK to return to the School Information page, which has an Application Pending alert message.

• If the PDSO is not ready to provide evidence at this time, click Cancel Petition to cancel the recertification petition. 

Form I-17 Required Signatures

The PDSO, all DSOs, and the head of school must sign where appropriate.

President, Owner, or Head of School Certification and Signature Page

DSO’s Form I-17-A Record of Designated School Officials Page

Additional Required Documents for Non-Accredited Schools

If your school does not hold accreditation by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency or an SEVP-identified accrediting agency, you must submit additional evidence based on your school type. Refer to the Evidence Guidelines to determine what evidence you should submit. Include this evidence with the signed Form I-17.

SEVP Review for Completeness

SEVP will review your submission for completeness.

• If you correctly submit a complete recertification package, you will receive a Notice of Confirmation of Complete Filing within two or three days of submission. This notice informs you the petition is in the queue for review and adjudication. 
• If there are errors, you will receive a Notice of Rejection of Complete Filing within two or three days. This notice states the errors in your package and requests that you make changes and resubmit. SEVP recommends that you correct any errors and submit a new package as soon as possible.
• If you have submitted a recertification package and not received either a notice of confirmation or rejection, email sevp@ice.dhs.gov. 

Voluntary Withdrawals

If your school has received a recertification notification or has submitted for recertification and wants to voluntarily withdraw certification, submit a withdrawal letter on the school’s letterhead stationery to SEVP. The school’s president or owner and the PDSO must sign the withdrawal letter. Send the letter to sevp@ice.dhs.gov. 

Your school can continue to operate while adjudication is pending.

Request for Evidence

If the adjudicator requires additional information, you will receive a request for evidence (RFE). RFEs describe what you need to do. You will have 15 days to respond to the request. Failure to respond to a Request for Evidence may result in the denial of your school’s recertification petition.

Adjudication

If no additional evidence is needed, SEVP will notify you of its decision.