Although the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is unable to respond directly to visa issuance or the nonimmigrants admitted to the United States at a port of entry, the program coordinates with partners at the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to discuss F-3 visa issuance and admission. Currently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security does not have regulations classifying border commuters as F-3 nonimmigrants. While SEVP realizes the importance of developing this regulation, government priorities dictate SEVP’s policy and regulatory plans.

SEVP is committed to increasing knowledge and awareness of border commuting students and to providing resources for designated school officials (DSOs). In the April 2016 SEVP Spotlight, SEVP Field Representative Kimberly Large discussed her experience touring the United States-Mexico border and the Highway 95 port of entry in San Luis, Arizona. She provided key takeaways for the more than 5,000 border commuter students. 

SEVP is currently developing interim final policy guidance to clarify border commuter address requirements and to discuss how these requirements differ from those of other F-1 and M-1 students.