1. Exchanging Data with INS: Update on SEVIS and its Impacts on Campus Patty Croom, Student Academic Records Team Leader, Michigan State University Jim Ellis, Director Office of International Education, Auburn University Copyright Patty Croom andJim Ellis, 2002. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

2. Objectives What is SEVIS? How does SEVIS work? History and Status of SEVIS Implementation Challenges How can Campus IT Professionals Help?

3. What is SEVIS? Student and Exchange Visitor Information System Data Exchange with Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Track non-immigrant students (F & M visas) and exchange visitors (J visas) Colleges, Universities, Exchange Programs, Vocational Schools, etc. Ports of Entry, Consulates and Embassies

4. SEVIS History – pre 2000 1979: Iranian Hostage Crisis 1993: first World Trade Center Bombing 1995: May -- INS internal review of student procedures 1996: Sept. -- Public law 104-208, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996, enacted. 1996: Dec. -- CIPRIS task force vision concept approved by INS commissioner. CIPRIS Pilot 1997: June -- CIPRIS Pilot project began. 1998: Embassy bombings Tanzania/Kenya Operational Prototype 1999: Oct. – Pilot project ends, CIPRIS system continues with INS and school support as an Operational Prototype (Atlanta Hartsfield Airport and District Office, Texas Service Center, 21 educational institutions, and DOS headquarters)

5. SEVIS History – 2000+ 2000: USS Cole Bombed National CIPRIS system 2000: Summer/Fall -- National CIPRIS system developed based on lessons learned from pilot, stakeholder and customer feedback, and the requirements of IIRIRA. INS Site visits 2000: Dec. and Jan. 2001 -- INS Site visits in Boston area in preparation for Beta Test. 2001: Jan. – Beta Test sites selected, deployment planning 2001: September 11- World Trade Center event 2001: USA PATRIOT ACT/Enhanced Border Security Act 2002: January/April - CIPRIS/ BETA ends, SEVIS deployed, Version 1 2002: July 1 - SEVIS version 2 +++ 2002: Sept. 11 - DOS ISEAS interim parallel system 2003: January 30 - SEVIS only I-20’s from this point

6. How does SEVIS work? PUBLIC INTERNET Schools & Universities (Students – F/M/J Scholars - J) INS-HQ Ports Of Entry (POE) Department of Education (DoEd) DOS SEVIS Servers FIREWALLFIREWALL Consulates INS SEVIS System INS -DO & SC STUDENT/SCHOLARSTUDENT/SCHOLAR RTI School Server Batch protocol Slide adapted: source: INS/EDS INTL Server

7. WHAT DATA? WHERE IS IT? School data – certification including designated school officials ALL I-20 and DS-2019 form data – (demographic+school info) Accompanying Dependent data Port of Entry and visa data for primary and dependents Whether the student enrolls, or fails to enroll Change of name, acad. discipline, change of degree program Academic suspensions, Extensions, transfers, graduation

8. WHAT DATA? WHERE IS IT? (continued) Disciplinary actions taken due to criminal conviction Whether the student drops below a full course of study without authorization Termination date and reason Other benefits – employment, CPT, OPT, Academic Training, etc. Information on any student who fails to maintain status or complete the program Other as required by law

9. SEVIS RTI – as of 9/26/2002 Interim added process 9/11/02 thru 01/30/03 Following production of I-20 DSO enters data into State Dept online ISEAS System J program currently not available in SEVIS – manual process at this time – 9/26/02

10. SEVIS RTI Status and Issues SEVIS deployed as of July 1, 2002 – Everyone to be in the system by January 30, 2003, in order to issue I-20’s Requires schools to become certified prior to use (estimated certification time possibly up to six months), fee as of 9/25/02 $580 – certification visits every 2 years Only F - I-20 program presently, J program expected October 15 or beyond (currently a paper process) ADSO very limited initial data entry, DSO must complete all processes following initial entry Data correction problematic, changes in protocol (change of level now transfer process), functional reports needed, etc. SEVIS Help desk – familiarity or lack of regarding school processes – system under development – long way to go Internal school processes vs RTI processes

11. SEVIS Batch Considerations Appropriate for schools with several hundred international students/scholars Technology: PDF, XML, HTTPS transfer with digital certificates Options: Departmental vendor solutions ERP vendors In-house development

12. SEVIS Batch Considerations Current institutional systems Resources Functional requirements such as need for review before transmitting data Hardware, software, security, scheduling, etc. Interfaces

13. SEVIS Batch Status “Final” batch specifications released August 14, 2002 First round testing of F specifications available September 23, 2002 J batch testing forecast to start November 15, 2002 Regulations not yet final—impacts??

14. SEVIS Implementation Challenges Processing Issues Technology Issues Implementation Issues Relationships Change Management Political Issues

15. Challenges: Processing New regulations Reporting frequency Event-driven reporting Shift in control on document issuance Correcting errors Coding schemes Handling scholars as well as students

16. Challenges: Technology Data feeds from multiple systems Leaps in automation Implementation timeframes Testing and change management Batch challenges: XML Limited pilot testing INS first e-gov experience Vendor software availability

17. Implementation Issues Nov 15, 2002: By this date, INS recommends apply for certification (I-17) ????? Institution receives certification and must use SEVIS Jan 30, 2003: May only issue SEVIS I-20 and DS-2019 30 days after registration period in next req’d semester: All students reported to SEVIS

18. Challenges: Relationships New relationships with INS International Office with campus IT Wide campus impact (Registrar, Human Resources, Admissions, English Language Programs, etc.)

19. Challenges: Change Management Immigration Changes Port of Entry processing Interim systems (DOS ISEAS) SSN processing for students SEVIS fee (issue pending) Reorganization at INS International Office Paradigm shift from advocate to regulator Changing regulations and procedures Need for systems expertise

20. Challenges: Political Issues Deadlines tied to Homeland Security Visibility with Press (expect media coverage) What does implementation mean? Risk and visibility

21. How Can Campus IT Professionals Help? Work with International and Admissions Offices Vendor selection and system planning Interface assistance Assist in budgetary analyses and impacts Participate on listservs Be proactive and ask questions!

22. Other Source of Information INS SEVIS: www.ins.gov/graphics/ services/tempbenefits/sevp.htm Educause SEVIS page www.educause.edu/issues/sevis.html NAFSA: Association of International Educators - www.nafsa.org CIPRIS/SEVIS historical, resources: www.auburn.edu/aub-ie/sevp

23. Questions??? Patty Croom croom@msu.edu Jim Ellis jimellis@auburn.edu This presentation can be found at www.auburn.edu/aub-ie/sevp Credits: this program is based on information provided by US Immigration and Naturalization Service, EDS, and international education colleagues

24. WARNING YOU HAVE ….