All agencies involved with regulating international students in the U.S. are under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The BTS (Border and Transportation Systems) arm of DHS, oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which administers SEVIS (Student Exchange and Visitor Information System), the web-based system for maintaining information on international students and exchange visitors in the US. Students with the following visas may attend your school without your having to do anything: L-2, H-2, E-1, E-4, and Permanent Resident (formerly known as “green card”). Students with B-1 or B-2 visas may not attend your school full time. SEVIS tracks students on F-1 visas. They are temporarily in the US to study at an academic institution, and admission professionals need to know the federal regulations pertaining to them.

Your school must submit Form I-17, Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by Non-Immigrant Students, in order to be approved by the DHS to admit F-1 students. You can set up your I-17 on a yearly, rather than a semester, basis. Once your school is approved, you may issue Form I-20, Certificate of Eligibility for Non-Immigrant Student Status, to international students, but your school must: be enrolled in SEVIS; have accepted students demonstrate English proficiency unless they are involved in an ESL course; and assess the parents’ ability to cover all school expenses. In addition, you must register F-1 students at the beginning of the school year and maintain all records for one year after an F-1 student leaves your school. Be sure to inform your F-1 students that they must report to their designated school official no later than 30 days after their program start date; pursue a full course of study and maintain normal progress toward completing that full course of study; be responsible for keeping their form I-20 valid; and not be employed.

Resources for help:

• SEVIS (www.ice.gov/sevis): Log on regularly to check for updates and alerts. You can sign up to receive their newsletter and to take an online SEVIS training course. The site is extremely informative.
• SSATB’s Directory of Members at www.ssatmembers.org indicates those members who are knowledgeable in this area and willing to assist others.
• NAFSA (www.nafsa.org). National Association of International Educators (formerly National Student Advisors). The site has plenty of information, and members have access to representatives of country. These reps often have direct lines to officials at government offices.
• The Immigration Quarterly, a publication that lists updates to laws and regulations.