July 29, 2003

Foreign Students Must Register

As we have posted previously, foreign students must be registered in the SEVIS system by August 1, 2003. Immigration officials note that students who have not met this deadline could be stopped at ports of entry, although they prefer not to make this new regulation tougher on legitimate students.

The Bureau of Customs and Immigration Enforcement will set up on August 1 a 24-hour command center that will operate seven days a week to help verify students' status or deal with other problems. The staff will be stationed at airports in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Detroit, Atlanta and Washington, facilities through which 70 percent of all foreign students enter the country. They have warned that this is only a one-time opportunity for students.

Although most schools have complied with the mandate, immigration officials have reported that 600 schools have yet to file their information or filed it too late to meet the deadline. Students attempting to enter to attend one of these schools could face delays or not be admitted at all. GT will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates when available.