Regulations require that international students work with their DSO to ensure information captured in the SEVP Portal and SEVIS are accurate. As an F-1 or M-1 student, it is very important that you regularly check in with your DSO, especially if personal or academic changes occur.

Changes to Report

Federal regulations require that international students report the following changes to their DSO to properly maintain their student status. Regulations specify when you need to report these changes, as identified below.

International students must report the following changes to their DSO or via the SEVP Portal within 10 days of the change occurring:

• Physical address and/or mailing address.
• Legal name.

Please note: If a student’s physical address and mailing address in the United States are different, the DSO must have both addresses.

Every six months, students participating in STEM OPT must work with their DSO to confirm that their record in SEVIS accurately reflects their current circumstance. Please visit the STEM OPT Hub for more information about reporting requirements for STEM OPT students.

Requesting Changes

In certain instances, students need to work with their DSO before a change occurs. These situations often occur because a DSO needs to grant the student permission in SEVIS or verify that the government records on the student are accurate for re-entry into the United States.

These change requests include:

• Transferring to a new SEVP-certified school.
• Traveling outside the United States.
• Bringing dependents into the country.
• Requesting employment or training authorization.

Importance of SEVIS

SEVIS and the SEVP Portal are critical tools in DHS’s mission to protect national security while supporting the legal entry of international students into the United States for education and cultural exchange.

For DHS to fulfill this mission, the information contained within SEVIS and the portal must be accurate, complete and up to date. Inaccurate information jeopardizes an international student’s ability to legally remain in the United States and can also delay issuance of new visas and the entry into the United States.