What is SEVIS?
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) implements section 641 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996, Public Law 104-208 (as amended), that requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to collect current information, on an ongoing basis, from DHS-certified schools and Department of State (DoS)-designated exchange visitor program sponsors relating to nonimmigrant foreign students (F and M visas) and exchange visitors (J-visa) and their dependents during the course of their stay in the United States.
Following the attack on September 11, 2001, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, now Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), developed a system for assessing a school before allowing that school to accept students from outside the U.S. The Student and Exchange Visitor System (SEVIS) is a Web-based system by which approved schools help citizens of other countries apply for a U.S. academic (F-1) visa. Agron & Associates can help your school complete the ICE application (I-17) and issue I-20 forms through SEVIS.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is a database that tracks the academic status of F, M, and J nonimmigrant students. The authority for SEVIS is set forth in 8 U.S.C. ยง 1372. The legislation for SEVIS was enacted in response to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in which an out-of-status foreign student was a key conspirator in the attack. Further enhancements were added to SEVIS by the US PATRIOT Act of 2001, and the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002. The Homeland Security Act requires that ICE use SEVIS information for enforcement purposes. These congressional acts were passed in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and strengthened and required the full implementation of SEVIS. The information contained in SEVIS is input by various academic institutions and exchange visitor programs. These schools are certified by ICE to use SEVIS and are also authorized to petition for foreign students and exchange visitors to enter the United
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is a government, computerized system that maintains data about foreign students and exchange visitors during their stay in the United States. SEVIS enables schools and program sponsors to transmit information and event notifications via the Internet to BCIS and the Department of State. SMU is required to register students and scholars in SEVIS every semester. For this reason, every student/scholar must report to the International Office at the beginning of every semester to be registered in SEVIS.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is an electronic information system designed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to a law passed by Congress in 1996 requiring schools to report information about international students. The information entered on the system is available to the DHS as well as to U.S. embassies and consulates. All schools, including GW, designated to enroll F-1 and J-1 students or to host J-1 exchange visitors are required to participate fully in SEVIS.
