September 13, 2002

This information is no longer valid and link to www.iseas.state.gov is no longer active. (more)

ISEAS Enacted as of September 11, 2002 – J, F, M Applicants Immediately Affected

Effective immediately as of September 11, 2002, the Department of State implemented the Interim Student and Exchange Authentication System (ISEAS). ISEAS requires electronic notification to overseas consular officer from exchange sponsors and schools BEFORE posts will issue J, F or M visas for the principle alien or their dependents. This system is an interim measure which is supposed to allow for the monitoring of foreign students and exchange visitors until the full implementation of SEVIS scheduled to take place in January 2003.

In order to use the ISEAS system, approved educational institutions and exchange visitor program sponsors must log onto the Department of State’s ISEAS website and create a user profile and enter the required information on their J, F and M applicants. The website address is www.iseas.state.gov. However, the immediate implementation of the ISEAS system without advance warning has caught many schools and J-1 sponsors unawares and has left J, F, and M visa applicants in limbo until consulates receive the required electronic notification. Given that this implementation of ISEAS was so sudden, the Department of State has set up back-up procedures to try and avoid a serious interruption of the issuance of J, F and M visas.

This procedures allows schools and J-1 program sponsors who have not yet been able to setup user profiles and enter the required information on their J, F, and M applicants into ISEAS, to notify the consulates of alien’s acceptance of their participation in their school or program by email. At this time, this back up procedures will be in place for only the first thirty days of implementation (September 11, 2002 through October 11, 2002). During this thirty day period, consular posts who check ISEAS and do not find the required information on the J, F or M visa applicant are to advise the applicant to contact their sponsoring institution. The applicant should tell contact their sponsoring institution and tell them that their data is missing from ISEAS and should be entered immediately. In the event the sponsoring institution will not be able to enter the information into ISEAS during the thirty day period, sponsoring institutions may directly email the consular posting with the confirmation of the alien’s acceptance of their participation in their programs. In addition, the State Department has instructed that posts may send email inquiries directly to the sponsoring institution and request email confirmation of enrollment.