 |
Written by: Jacque Gourley
Published: 03/31/2005 SEVIS Update: Current System Development and Policy Status are Detailed at NYC Annual Meeting.
AACRAO annual meeting participants got an update on the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) from Sal Longarino, Director of International Student Programs at Fordham University. In addition, crucial content was provided by Laura Taylor, Chair of NAFSA’s Task Force working with SEVP on SEVIS policy issues.
Among many information nuggets, participants learned:
- SEVIS system upgrades are being developed by the DHS Bureau for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—the federal entity, which is charged with the development and implementation of SEVIS. SEVIS 5.0 is slated for release in late June 2005 and will feature upgrades to the batch functionality. A participant attending the session advised campuses to tell vendors about the upcoming batch upgrade in preparation of the SEVIS 5.0 release so that testing can be done.
- That within the last year, collection of the federally-mandated $100 SEVIS student user fee was required for applicants that enrolled for 2005 academic terms and for whom I-20s were issued prior to September 1, 2004. ICE has established a SEVIS Fee Help Desk and Hotline and created a Frequently Asked Questions to enumerate the extensive exceptions to the fee. A number of campuses, including the University of Texas at Austin have decided to pay the SEVIS fee on behalf of incoming students. While the fee cannot be paid in bulk, ICE officials have indicated that they will consider enabling bulk payments if enough schools express interest in paying the SEVIS fees on behalf of students.
- Current advocacy efforts to refine SEVIS include institution and association pleas to enable schools to do simple data fixes instead of requiring reinstatement for changes to be made. On the policy side, international education advocates testified on March 17, 2005 to raise concerns about SEVIS at a joint hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittees on Select Education and 21st Century Competitiveness. In a related development, The American Competitiveness Through International Openness Now (ACTION) Act of 2005 (S. 455) sponsored by Senators Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) was introduced in the U.S. Senate in Feb. 2005. Provisions of the legislation include allowing colleges and Designated School Officials the ability to update data in SEVIS. A provision added to the bill following the recent House hearing would allow for mechanisms to make it easier for school officials to report in SEVIS.
###
Related Links:
|
|
|
|
