summer 2017 sevp infocus webinar aug. 30, 2017 webinar script · summer 2017 sevp infocus...

Student and Exchange Visitor Program Strategic Communications Team Summer 2017 SEVP InFocus Webinar—Script

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Summer 2017 SEVP InFocus Webinar Aug. 30, 2017

Webinar Script

Slide 1: Pre-webinar Title Slide

[Adobe Connect room opens approximately 15 minutes prior to webinar. Slide 1 displays until the start of the webinar at 2 p.m. EDT.]

Slide 2: Title Slide

LAUREN: • Hello everybody! • I’m Lauren Caricato and I’d like to welcome you to today’s SEVP InFocus Webinar. • As we get started, please take a moment to complete the polls on your screen. We’re going

to hold several polls during today’s webinar to get your opinion on new resources and hot topics. Your responses will help inform our communication efforts, so we really appreciate your input.

Slide 3: Housekeeping Notes

LAUREN: • Before we begin our presentation, I want to cover a few brief housekeeping notes. • First, please download and take a look at our hyperlink appendix, which contains links to all

of the webpages mentioned during today’s presentation; we’ll be referring to this throughout the webinar. You can access it at the bottom of your screen in the Webinar Resources pod.

o And, while you’re looking at that pod, you’ll also notice that you can download a PDF of today’s PowerPoint presentation and a glossary that defines key terms and acronyms mentioned during the webinar.

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/assets/summer_2017_sevp_infocus_webinar_hyperlink_appendix.pdf

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/assets/summer_2017_sevp_infocus_webinar_presentation.pdf

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/assets/summer_2017_sevp_infocus_webinar_presentation.pdf

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/assets/summer_2017_sevp_infocus_webinar_glossary.pdf


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• Additionally, if you experience technical difficulties at any point, please explain your problem through the Technical Difficulties pod on your screen and we’ll do our best to address your issue.

• Finally, if any of your colleagues weren’t able to join us today—we know that it’s a busy time of the year with students returning to campus and registration—make sure you direct them to the recording after the webinar.

TANDICE: • Lauren, I want to jump in here with a note that all of the items you just mentioned—the

recording, presentation PDF and glossary—will be available later this week on the Summer 2017 SEVP InFocus Webinar page on Study in the States.

LAUREN: • Great, thanks Tandice! And that page you just mentioned is right where you went to access

today’s webinar, and is also located in your hyperlink appendix.

Slide 4: Today’s Presenters

LAUREN: • As I mentioned, I’m Lauren and I’ll be your moderator for today’s webinar. I’m joined by

Marissa Tinsley and Tandice Ghajar Strasbough—our regular SEVP InFocus Webinar presenters—and by our special guest, SEVP Director Rachel Canty, who’s joining us for a brief introductory segment.

• But before we get to that segment, Marissa and Tandice, could you take a moment to introduce yourselves to our viewers?

MARISSA: • Hi everyone—my name is Marissa Tinsley and I started working at SEVP in 2010 in the

School Certification Unit doing Initial certifications. I later transferred to my current position on the Strategic Communications Team, where I now work with Tandice.

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TANDICE: • And, hello everyone—I’m Tandice Ghajar Strasbough and I’m also on the SEVP Strategic

Communications Team. I used to work in SEVP’s compliance unit and also did some policy-related work. My primary focus is student issues.

Slide 5: Presentation Overview

LAUREN: • Thanks, everyone. • As you can see on our agenda, we have a lot to cover today. We’ll kick off our presentation

with a brief welcome from SEVP’s new Director Rachel Canty, and touch on a variety of things before finishing with an overview of some new resources on Study in the States.

• I also want to stress up front that we really want to hear your feedback on this webinar and any other webinars SEVP hosts. Please mark our Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey—listed at the bottom of this slide—in your hyperlink appendix or make a note to complete it after the webinar. We’ll also have a few polling questions at the end of today’s presentation, so make sure you stick around until the end to complete those!

Slide 6: Introduction from Director Canty

LAUREN: • Alright, let’s jump into today’s special segment. As many of you probably know, SEVP

recently welcomed a new, permanent director, Rachel Canty, who’s with us today. If you tuned into our SEVP Special Report Webinar on STEM OPT last year, you may be familiar with Director Canty, who presented during the webinar.

• We really appreciate you joining our webinar, Rachel. Could you take a moment to introduce yourself to our viewers?

Slide 7: Information from SEVP—Hurricane Harvey

RACHEL: • Good afternoon, everyone. I am very excited to be here today and in my new role as

director of SEVP. As many of you know, former SEVP Director Lou Farrell recently

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transferred into a new position within the National Security Investigations Division after more than a decade here at the program. But, before I get too much into that, I want to start with a few tips and reminders related to Hurricane Harvey.

• We have a few reminders for DSOs both inside and outside of the affected areas. o First, please make sure that students maintain status during emergency events, such

as a natural disaster or hurricane. o Second, encourage your students to sign up for emergency alerts from local law

enforcement. After Katrina, we learned that many students didn’t know about this feature—it’s incredibly useful, so please make sure that they subscribe to these notifications.

o Third, now is a great time to review campus emergency planning materials. o And, finally, we have some great resources to assist both DSOs and international

students during this time. There is a Maintaining Student Status During Emergency Events page on Study in the States and the resources associated with our SEVP Ask the Experts Webinar: Campus Emergency Planning and the International Student Community.

• I also wanted to let folks know that four of our SEVP field representatives deployed with the DHS Surge Capacity Force this week. This is a volunteer employee force that’s deployed to disaster locations to help FEMA with response and recovery efforts. They’ll be deployed for the next 45 days.

Slide 8: Get to Know SEVP Leadership—Director Rachel Canty

• Alright, back to my earlier comments. I am now the director of SEVP. This position involves overseeing program-wide operations and ensuring strong coordination within the National Security Investigations Division.

• I also serve as the acting division chief for SEVP’s External Operations. In this position, I oversee externally-focused components, such as SRC, school certification, FRU, policy and compliance. We hope to fill this position in the coming months.

• Some of my previous experience: I’ve been with DHS since its inception, and held various roles within ICE and at DHS headquarters. At one time, I served as the acting assistant director for the ICE Office of Policy.

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• Before I finish up, I want to note that this leadership transition will have no impact on how students and schools communicate with SEVP or comply with federal rules and regulations. It will remain business as usual with regards to our processes and policies for SEVP-certified schools and international students.

• I think that’s about it!

Slide 9: Notifications and Follow-up

LAUREN: • Thank you so much for that introduction and for joining us today, Director Canty! We’ll let

you head out so you can get back to work. • Okay, let’s move into the rest of today’s presentation. We’ll start by looking at some recent

program news and developments. Marissa, there’s been a lot happening with our School Certification Unit, including a recent change to recertification; could you fill us in?

Slide 10: Changes to Recertification—Form I-17 Petition Edits

MARISSA: • Of course. SEVIS Release 6.35, deployed in July 2017, introduced functionality allowing

DSOs to edit the Form I-17 while filing for recertification. What this means is: your school can now make certain changes to the Form I-17 and submit those changes as part of your school’s recertification package, rather than submit the changes as a separate Form I-17 update. Keep in mind that SEVP requires schools to provide all evidence up front, both for recertification and Form I-17 updates.

• However, I want to stress that it is up to your school whether to file for recertification with petition edits or whether to file these edits as separate Form I-17 updates—whatever best fits your school’s timeline.

LAUREN: • I want to jump in here with a reminder that federal regulations require DSOs to report any

changes to the Form I-17 within 21 days of the change. So, DSOs, as a best practice: don’t wait until recertification to make those changes to the Form I-17. You are required to report these changes as they happen. So, if a change happens to your school’s information


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and you don’t have a chance to update it within 21 days, make sure you submit an update as soon as possible.

• Marissa, are there any types of updates that DSOs cannot submit when filing for recertification?

MARISSA: • Yes, Lauren—as you can see on the slide, DSOs must submit a change in ownership or

change of main campus location as a separate Form I-17 update and cannot submit these changes as part of the recertification package. Therefore, I want to stress that SEVP will cancel any recertification packages submitted with these updates.

LAUREN: • Good to know. Let’s stick with school certification and move to everyone’s favorite topic:

Form I-17 update processing times. Tandice, let’s get you in the conversation, what’s the latest news about Form I-17 updates?

Slide 11: Form I-17 Updates Processing Times—Understanding Form I-17 Updates

TANDICE: • Sure thing, Lauren. Before we get into specific processing times, I want to give everyone a

brief overview of how SEVP processes Form I-17 updates. For those who tuned into our SEVP Ask the Experts Webinar: Behind the Scenes of Form I-17 Updates last month, this content might seem familiar.

LAUREN: • But, it’s always good to have a brief reminder of the Form I-17 update process.

TANDICE: • That’s very true! • As I’m sure many of you are aware, the Form I-17 has 26 fields that schools can update, and

many of these fields may require review by an SEVP adjudicator. So, really when we say the

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term “update,” we could mean anything from a simple change to one single field, to changes to all 26 fields.

LAUREN: • Good to know! Is there a place where folks can go to view the complete list of all fields

requiring adjudication?

TANDICE: • Yes Lauren, this link is located at the bottom of the slide and in your hyperlink appendix.

Our Petition Updates tab on ICE.gov is a great resource for DSOs and contains detailed information about the Form I-17 update process.

LAUREN: • That page really is a great resource, Tandice. DSOs: make sure you download the hyperlink

appendix and bookmark this page. • It seems like there’s a wide range of possible updates coming in, so is there any way that

SEVP prioritizes these updates?

TANDICE: • Yes, SEVP processes updates in the order in which they are received.

LAUREN: • So, basically the first updates that come in are the first updates that go out?

TANDICE: • Correct. Let me give an example of what we mean by first-in, first-out processing. • A school may have a pending update to their telephone number, but when this update

comes in, its number 501 in the queue, behind 500 other pending petition updates. Of these 500 pending updates, 300 may be to add a new program of study, which takes longer to review. So, our adjudicators will get to that school’s telephone update only after adjudicating the 500 prior updates.

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LAUREN: • Good to know, Tandice. You mentioned the SEVP Ask the Experts Webinar earlier; is this

webinar a good resource for DSOs to learn more about the Form I-17 updates process?

TANDICE: • Yes, I really want to push this webinar as an excellent resource for DSOs to learn about

what goes on behind the scenes here at SEVP once we receive an update request. The webinar also included a great live question and answer session. If you were unable to join the live webinar on July 27, you can access the webinar recording and additional resources through the Study in the States Stakeholder Webinars page.

LAUREN: • And you can view a link to this webinar in your hyperlink appendix. • Thanks for that explanation, Tandice. I’m sure folks are eager to hear more about specific

update processing times; could you share that information with us?

Slide 12: Form I-17 Update Processing Times—Average Time

TANDICE: • Of course. I want to note that the numbers on this slide are the minimum averages for our

current processing times, and it’s possible that updates for your school may take a shorter or longer period of time than what’s noted on this slide.

• Right now, the processing time for all Form I-17 updates is at least 90 business days. In comparison, the processing time for PDSO and DSO updates is 10 business days, provided that it’s submitted as a standalone update and all necessary evidence is received at the time of filing.

LAUREN: • Thanks, Tandice. I know that we’ve stressed this point in past webinars, but I think it’s good

for folks to know that SEVP is continuing to keep the processing time for PDSO and DSO updates down.

• Alright, I think that covers about everything related to school certification. With that information out of the way, let’s move on to another topic. Marissa, I know you mentioned

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some of the features included in SEVIS Release 6.35 earlier, but could you mention what other functionality was included in the release?

Slide 13: SEVIS Enhancements—SEVIS Release 6.35

MARISSA: • Sure thing, Lauren. In addition to changes to the recertification process, SEVIS Release 6.35

also introduced new features related to STEM OPT, which are listed on the slide. As you can see, these features include a checkbox for DSOs to indicate receipt of a student’s self-evaluation. We also changed the STEM OPT end date calculation in SEVIS to match the USCIS-approved end date.

LAUREN: • Thanks, Marissa. And I just want to remind everyone that if you want to learn about any

past or upcoming SEVIS enhancements, to check out the SEVIS Help Hub on Study in the States. The Help Hub is also a great resource for DSOs to get assistance with common SEVIS processes, such as registration and other key events.

MARISSA: • And, before we move on, I want to provide a brief follow-up to information mentioned

during our last SEVP InFocus Webinar, where we mentioned that SEVP was working to deploy evidence upload functionality in SEVIS. I want folks to know that we are still working to release this functionality, but that it will be available in the future. So, DSOs: keep an eye on the SEVIS Help Hub for more information and anticipated release dates.

LAUREN: • Yes—and you can stay up to date on the latest SEVP news and updates by following our

Study in the States blog and associated social media accounts. As always, this information is located in your hyperlink appendix—so make sure you download this!

• Moving on to our next subject, during our last SEVP InFocus Webinar we announced the deployment of SEVP field representatives to the Arlington, Virginia, and San Jose, California, territories. Tandice, do you have an update about the status of the remaining SEVP field representative vacancies?

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub


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Slide 14: SEVP Field Representative Unit Updates

TANDICE: • I do, Lauren. SEVP is happy to announce that we’ve hired field representatives for the

territories marked with a star on the slide, and that these field representatives are scheduled to deploy in early 2018. After early 2018, we hope to only have two remaining vacancies in Raleigh, North Carolina, and St. Louis, Missouri.

LAUREN: • Good to hear that SEVP is moving forward with deploying field representatives to those

four territories shown on the slide! I know DSOs in these territories will be happy to have a field representative visit their school.

TANDICE: • I am sure they will be! Before we move on, I want to remind DSOs in the territories listed

on the slide that you can continue to contact the SRC with your questions until an SEVP field representative is deployed to your territory. Once a field representative is deployed, they will be in contact with your school to set up an initial meeting.

LAUREN: • Thanks, Tandice. For school officials in these areas with questions, we’ve included the SRC’s

contact information in the hyperlink appendix and at the end of this presentation for your reference.

• Alright, before we move on, during our last SEVP InFocus Webinar we mentioned SEVP’s plans to create a way for students to transfer their I-901 SEVIS Fee through FMJFee.com. Marissa, do you have an update about this feature?

Slide 15: FMJFee.com Update—I-901 SEVIS Fee Transfer

MARISSA: • I do, Lauren. SEVP is excited to announce that students can now request to transfer their

I-901 SEVIS Fee online through FMJFee.com. To request an I-901 SEVIS Fee transfer, students can visit the Check Status page on FMJFee.com, enter their information, and

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submit a request to transfer their I-901 SEVIS Fee to another school. I do want to note that students should allow at least two business days to receive an email response from SEVP and please note that approval is not guaranteed.

LAUREN: • That’s a really helpful feature! Requesting an I-901 SEVIS Fee transfer online definitely

sounds more convenient than requesting a transfer via email or postal service.

MARISSA: • That’s true. However, I do want to note that students can still request to transfer their

I-901 SEVIS Fee via email or postal service.

LAUREN: • And, Marissa, can you please tell folks about a place where they can go for more detailed

information about how to request to transfer their I-901 SEVIS Fee on FMJFee.com?

MARISSA: • Yes, Lauren. The blog post highlighted at the bottom of this slide contains step-by-step

information about how students can request to transfer their I-901 SEVIS Fee through FMJFee.com.

LAUREN: • Good to know! DSOs: if your students have any questions about this new feature or when

to request an I-901 SEVIS Fee transfer, you can point them to that blog post for a thorough explanation. As you may have guessed, the link to that blog post is included in your hyperlink appendix.

Slide 16: Ask the Audience

LAUREN: • On that note, I want to jump to our first poll question. We’re hoping to get your feedback

about whether you plan to inform your prospective students about the new I-901 SEVIS Fee transfer feature on FMJFee.com. So, we would appreciate if you could take a moment to complete the poll on your screen.


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• Thanks everyone for your feedback. As I’ve said, we really appreciate it.

Slide 17: Don’t Forget

LAUREN: • Okay, that was a lot of great program news and reminders, which takes us into our next

section where we’ll provide tips and best practices for school officials. Given that we’re in the back to school season for many DSOs, we’ve focused this segment on back to school best practices.

• Once again, if your colleagues were unable to join us today due to student registration, orientation or other back to school commitments, we strongly encourage you to share our webinar recording so everyone can start the new academic year off on the right foot.

• With that, Tandice, would you like to jump in with our first back to school reminder?

Slide 18: Back to School Best Practices—Register Students at the Start of Each Session

Please note the live webinar incorrectly refers to reporting deadlines. The correct reporting deadlines are as follows:

• Within 30 days of the Initial Session Start Date, DSOs must report: o Initial students o Initial student records for F-1 or M-1 transfers o Nonimmigrants changing to F-1 or M-1 status

• Within 30 days of the start of classes, DSOs must report: o Active students reporting for each term or semester

TANDICE: • Of course, Lauren! Our first tip is one that I am sure many DSOs are aware of, but it is

always a great reminder. As noted on the slide, DSOs must report certain student information in SEVIS within 30 days of the program start date.

• As a DSO, you must report whether an international student arrived at your school and enrolled in classes. If a student doesn’t report within 30 days, you must terminate the


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student’s SEVIS record for the reason of No Show. Remember, reporting this information is important because it ensures your student records are up to date, and helps fulfill your reporting responsibilities to the government, which I believe we’ll discuss on the next slide.

LAUREN: • Always a great reminder, Tandice. And I think this tip segues us nicely into our next

reminder. Marissa, would you like to pick this one up?

Slide 19: Back to School Best Practices—Ensure Accurate and Timely Reporting

MARISSA: • Sure thing. As you mentioned, this next reminder goes hand in hand with our first tip about

student registration. Ensuring accurate and timely reporting for all student and school information is an important best practice for DSOs throughout the year. So, it’s important that DSOs use the back to school season as an opportunity to get off on the right track.

• As you can see on the slide, we’ve listed some important reminders to ensure your student and school records remain accurate and up to date. I know we mentioned it earlier in this presentation, but I want to reinforce that DSOs must report changes to school and student information within 21 days. This is important because it helps your school prepare for recertification and to avoid receiving a RAP.

LAUREN: • Marissa, I want to jump in because some of our viewers might be unfamiliar with RAPs;

would you be able to remind them about what these are and how schools can resolve them?

MARISSA: • Of course. A RAP—or Remedial Action Plan as you’ll see in the presentation glossary—is a

document issued by SEVP when we discover deficiencies with your school or student records. One of our favorite examples is a K-12 student’s record with a birth year of 1950. Obviously, something may not be right here. In this situation, SEVP will issue the school a

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RAP and outline the steps needed to overcome this deficiency. So, basically, it gives your school the opportunity to correct the error and ensure everything is updated accordingly.

LAUREN: • Good to know.It’s not the end of the world if your school receives a RAP, but making sure

you report information in a timely manner, and ensuring your school and student records are accurate will help avoid these situations.

Slide 20: Back to School Best Practices—Prepare Students for Travel

LAUREN: • Alright, our next few best practices are going to look at items related to student travel since

I’m sure many students are in the process of traveling to the United States. Tandice, can you give us some best practices to ensure students have a smooth travel experience to and from the United States?

TANDICE: • Yes, of course. As our audience probably knows, it’s always a good practice for DSOs to

provide students—especially those who may be traveling to the United States for the first time—with tips and reminders for international travel.

• Our most important tip is listed on this slide, and it’s to remind students to hand carry all required documentation while traveling. There are quite a few documents that may be needed to enter the United States, including a valid passport, signed Form I-20 and evidence of financial support.

• We also recommend that students familiarize themselves with the U.S. port of entry process. And, in the event of an emergency, we recommend that DSOs provide students with their name and 24-hour emergency contact information.

LAUREN: • Great information, Tandice. Is there a place students or DSOs can go for more travel

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TANDICE: • Yes, and we’ve highlighted it on the slide. Our Getting to the United States page on Study in

the States contains important travel reminders for students. We’ve designed this page for students, so it’s a great resource for DSOs to include as part of their welcome package or to refer students to.

LAUREN: • That’s true, and you can link directly to that page in your hyperlink appendix. As you can

see, this hyperlink appendix is an important document with a lot of great information, so if you haven't downloaded it yet, be sure to do so before the end of our webinar.

Slide 21: Back to School Best Practices—Understand the Form I-515A

MARISSA: • Of course! Our final tip has to do with a document that students might receive if they’re

not prepared for the U.S. port of entry and attempt to enter the United States without the required documents—the Form I-515A. As a DSO, it’s important to help your students comply with the terms of admission on the Form I-515A and to respond to SEVP with all necessary paperwork within 30 days.

• It’s also good to be familiar with SEVP’s Form I-515A noncompliance procedure. Failure to respond to a Form I-515A may result in termination of a student’s SEVIS record, and it’s certainly not good for a student to have their record terminated for a deficiency that’s easy to overcome. So, DSOs make sure you understand the implications if students don’t respond to a Form I-515A.

• If you have any questions about the Form I-515A, how students can respond or SEVP’s noncompliance procedure, you can visit the link on the slide or access the Study in the States What is a Form I-515A page through our hyperlink appendix.

LAUREN: • All great tips. Thank you, Marissa and Tandice, for that information, I’m sure it was very

helpful since so many folks are dealing with registration and student travel right now.

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Slide 22: Ask the Audience—Preparing Students for Travel

LAUREN: • Alright, we want to get a better feeling of how many DSOs out there provide travel tips and

reminders to their international students. Please select “yes” or “no” using the poll feature on your screen.

• Great, thanks for that feedback. As Tandice mentioned, Study in the States has some excellent resources that you can share with students to help prepare them for travel.

• Tandice, what’s our final tip?

Slide 23: Facts + Figures

TANDICE: • Actually, Lauren, I think we’ve run out of all of our tips. We’re ready to move into our next

section that talks about facts and figures.

LAUREN: • Oh, good point, Tandice! Thank you for that. Alright, let’s move on to our next section,

which will take a look at high-level international student data available in the biannual SEVIS by the Numbers report. SEVP recently redesigned this report to better showcase international student trends and information. But I don’t want to spoil the next section, so Tandice, would you be able to tell us more about SEVIS by the Numbers and highlight any interesting statistics?

Slide 24: Ask the Audience—SEVIS by the Numbers

TANDICE: • Of course, Lauren. I actually want to start with a poll question to get an idea of how many

people watching today are familiar with SEVIS by the Numbers. Please take a moment to respond the question on your screen and let us know if you’ve downloaded the most recent report released in June 2017.

• Alright, looks like some good results coming in. Thanks, everyone.


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Slide 25: About SEVIS by the Numbers

TANDICE: • For those who might not have had a chance to read the most recent report, SEVIS by the

Numbers is a biannual report that showcases international student data in SEVIS. As Lauren mentioned, we recently updated this report with a new look to better capture and display international student trends. Our next few slides will provide a look at some of these trends from the June 2017 report.

Slide 26: SEVIS by the Numbers—International Student Snapshot

TANDICE: • Our first slide provides a snapshot of the number of F and M international students, and J

exchange visitors in the United States as of May 2017; this is one statistic you can expect to see in each SEVIS by the Numbers report. We’ve also included an interesting fact about the number of F and M students from Asia.

• However, one interesting fact not shown on this slide is that the number of F and M international students increased by two percent between May 2016 and May 2017.

Slide 27: SEVIS by the Numbers—Breakdown of Students in Higher Education

TANDICE: • This next slide narrows our view to look specifically at F and M international students

participating in the U.S. higher education system. Of the 1.18 million F and M international students in the United States, 76 percent of them participate in a higher education level; whether it’s a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate program. So, it’s important to note that SEVIS by the Numbers takes a look at both broader trends for international students, as well as some of the trends for a specific group or population; in this case, students engaged in higher education programs.


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Slide 28: Where Do International Students Come From?

TANDICE: • And, moving on to our final slide, we’ll zoom back out to a broader view, and look at

growth and decline rates for F and M international students for each continent from May 2016 to May 2017. As you can see, aside from Antarctica, F and M international students come from every continent in the world. In fact, South America saw the largest growth in F and M international students over the last year.

• With that, I want to wrap up by noting that folks don’t have to wait until the release of SEVIS by the Numbers to stay up to date with the latest trends in international student data. Our Mapping SEVIS by the Numbers tool on Study in the States, which is included in your hyperlink appendix, is updated on a quarterly basis to reflect the latest international student statistics.

LAUREN: • Thanks for that presentation, Tandice. SEVP really developed some great graphics to help

visualize these trends. • Before we move on, I also want to put a plug in for the Mapping SEVIS by the Numbers tool

that Tandice just mentioned. Whether or not you’re interested in data trends or international student data, this feature is incredibly easy to use and contains some great statistics about international students both in the United States, as well as by continent and country. As Tandice mentioned, a link to this feature is included in your hyperlink appendix.

Slide 29: Helpful Resources

LAUREN: • Okay, so let’s move into the final part of our presentation and take a brief moment to

review some helpful resources. As noted at the beginning of the webinar, please stick around until the end of this presentation for the opportunity to provide feedback about today’s webinar. We’ll start with Study in the States. Marissa, can you talk about our new resources that folks should know about?

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-by-the-numbers

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-by-the-numbers



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Slide 30: New Resources—SEVIS Help Hub Updates

MARISSA: • Yes, I’m sure many attendees are familiar with the SEVIS Help Hub on Study in the States.

But, I want to draw attention to the redesigned SEVIS Help Hub home page, which allows stakeholders to better locate resources. Over the last few months, we also added a few new pages including:

o How to shorten or extend a student’s program; o Transferring out M-1 students; and o Creating and maintaining the Form I-17.

• If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out the SEVIS Help Hub recently, I strongly encourage you to visit it and browse our new resources.

LAUREN: • Good to know, Marissa. For DSOs, the SEVIS Help Hub is really the one stop shop for any

information related to SEVIS. I strongly encourage DSOs—especially now that we’re in the back to school season—to check out the SEVIS Help Hub and review our pages about updating school and student information. You can access the Help Hub through the Study in the States home page or our hyperlink appendix.

Slide 31: Save the Date—SEVP Ask the Experts Webinar: Behind the Scenes of the Form I-20

LAUREN: • Tandice, you were talking about webinars earlier in this presentation; can you tell our

stakeholders about our upcoming webinar?

TANDICE: • Of course, Lauren. SEVP is actively holding free webinars for stakeholders, and I want to

take the time to highlight our next SEVP Ask the Experts Webinar on Oct. 5, 2017. We’re sticking with our trend of looking at key school and student forms, and will use this webinar to troubleshoot some common issue areas on the Form I-20.







https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/webinar/sevp-ask-the-experts-webinar-behind-the-scenes-of-the-form-i-20


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• We’ve designed this webinar to provide information for both new and experienced DSOs, and will allow time for a live question and answer session with SEVP representatives. We encourage folks to submit any questions about the Form I-20 to the email address listed on your screen by Sept. 14, 2017. However, I want to note that SEVP will not address SEVIS technical questions or questions that are case-specific during this webinar.

LAUREN: • Great information. So, DSOs: mark your calendars for Oct. 5, 2017, from 2 to 3 p.m. EDT.

And, if you don’t want to manually mark your calendar, we’ve included a save the date Outlook calendar invitation. That invitation is available at the link on your screen to allow you to save the webinar date and time directly to your personal calendar.

• Tandice, can you let our viewers know about past webinars that they should be aware of?

Slide 32: Miss a Webinar?—SEVP Ask the Experts Webinar: Behind the Scenes of the Form I-17 Updates

TANDICE: • Yes, Lauren. As I mentioned earlier in this presentation, our SEVP Ask the Experts Webinar:

Behind the Scenes of Form I-17 Updates is a great resource for stakeholders. The webinar takes a behind-the-scenes look at how SEVP processes updates. I strongly encourage anyone tuning in today who missed this webinar to take time and view the webinar recording.

LAUREN: • Great point, Tandice. And, in addition to the webinar recording, we also have resources

available to accompany this webinar, including a copy of the presentation, glossary and hyperlink appendix. It’s also important to note that we’re in the process of developing additional resources, including a script and answers to the top 10 questions asked by stakeholders—these should be available shortly.





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Slide 33: Petition Updates—ICE.gov/SEVIS/Schools

MARISSA: • And, Lauren, I want to jump to our next slide to quickly highlight one of the key resources

mentioned during our SEVP Ask the Experts Webinar—the Petition Updates page at ICE.gov/SEVP. This page is such a valuable resource that we’ve included it in this presentation to make sure everyone is aware of it.

• On this page, you can find numerous resources to assist DSOs with the Form I-17 update process. As Tandice mentioned earlier, you can view a complete list of fields requiring SEVP adjudication and detailed instructions about how to submit an update through SEVIS.

• However, most importantly, this page currently houses SEVP’s evidence guides. These guides contain information about the evidence required for both accredited and non-accredited schools and programs of study. If you have questions about the evidence required for a certain Form I-17 update, I strongly encourage you to reference the evidence guides for more information.

LAUREN: • Thanks for that information, Marissa. This is definitely an important page that we want

everyone to know about.

Slide 34: Engage with SEVP—Stay Connected

LAUREN: • And with that, let’s move on to our final slides. You’ll notice that we have some feedback

questions on the screen about today’s webinar. As we go through these last slides, please take a moment to answer these polls.

• Marissa, while folks are taking these polls, can you talk through how folks can engage with SEVP?

MARISSA: • Sure thing, Lauren. As this presentation has demonstrated, we have many great resources

and ways for stakeholders to stay informed about the latest news from SEVP.

http://www.ice.gov/sevp


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• Some specific things that we want to highlight are the SEVP Spotlight and the SEVP Outreach Bulletin. You can learn more about these publications on the Study in the States Conferences page, which is listed in your hyperlink appendix.

• And speaking of the Conferences page, you can also submit event requests to SEVP and other government partners on that page if your school, or any association you are a member of, has an upcoming event where you would like us to present.

LAUREN: • Also, remember that we frequently post on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, so be sure to

connect with us on those platforms as well!

Slide 35: SEVP Values Your Feedback

LAUREN: • And, as I mentioned at the start of this presentation, I’d like to take this opportunity to

remind everyone that we would love to hear more of your thoughts about today’s session, as well as any other events you attend where SEVP presents.

• Please take our Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey following this webinar so that we can continue to improve future webinars and general outreach to you all! If you refer to our hyperlink appendix, there’s a direct link to the survey in there—it’s also on the slide now, too.

Slide 36: SEVP Contact Information

LAUREN: • And finally, don’t forget that there are numerous ways to get in touch with SEVP. • SRC is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, except on federal

holidays. • And you can always reach out to us via the email addresses you see on the screen. • Before we sign off, I want to encourage everyone to please take a moment to complete the

polls listed on your screen. And, also, thanks to Director Canty, Marissa and Tandice, and everyone who joined today’s webinar. See you next time!

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/conferences


https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/conferences

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/survey



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Slide 37: Webinar Closing Slide

[Slide 37 displays until the Adobe Connect room closes at the conclusion of the webinar]

summer 2017 sevp infocus webinar aug. 30, 2017 webinar script · summer 2017 sevp infocus...

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