February 6, 2007

Student Exchange Visitor Program ("SEVP") Designation of F1 Sponsoring Educational Institutions

In January 2007, Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") published a fact sheet for F-1 nonimmigrant students regarding the Student Exchange Visitor Program ("SEVP") designation of their sponsoring educational institution. This fact sheet can be found at the following website: http://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/school_closed_17_student.pdf In this fact sheet, ICE notes that each year many schools go out of business or lose their SEVP certification and ability to admit foreign students in F-1 status. If an sponsoring school loses it's SEVP certification prior to an F-1 student's admission to the U.S., that student will not be able to enter the U.S. using a Form I-20 or F-1 visa obtained through sponsorship of the school that lost it's SEVP certification. Per ICE's fact sheet, the F-1 student will need to apply for admission to another SEVP certified school and obtain a new Form I-20 and F-1 visa for the new school.

If a school closes or loses its SEVP certification after an F-1 student has been admitted to the U.S., ICE states that an F-1 nonimmigrant student at that school must either transfer to another SEVP certified school or depart the U.S. F-1 nonimmigrant students can verify a school's SEVP certification by consulting the list of SEVP certified schools on the following website: http:www.ice.gov/sevis. The attached fact sheet also contains a list of procedures from ICE that an F-1 nonimmigrant should follow when transferring schools or withdrawing from a school. ICE states that an F-1 student's failure to follow the procedures on the attached fact sheet regarding transferring or withdrawing from an educational institution could have a negative impact on that students ability to re-enter the U.S. in the future.