Final SEVIS Fee/School Recertification Rule Effective October 27, 2008
73 Fed. Reg. 55683 (September 26, 2008)
ICE published the final SEVIS fee/recertification rule on September 26, 2008.
The rule is effective on October 27, 2008.
Brief Summary
The rule has three principal parts:
- Fee hikes of SEVIS I-901, initial certification, and site visit fees
- Rules for recertification of F and M schools
- New I-17 and maintenance of school certification rules
Fee Hikes Effective October 27, 2008
| Item |
Before 10/27/08
|
On and After 10/27/08
|
I-901 F/M Students
|
$100 |
$200
|
I-901 J-1 Exchange Visitors
|
$100 |
$180 |
I-901 J-1 Au Pairs, Camp Counselors,
Summer Work Study
|
$35
|
$35
|
| I-901 J-1 Federally sponsored exchange visitor programs (program code starts with G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-7) |
$0 |
$0 |
F or M School Initial Certification
|
$230
|
$1700
|
Initial Certification Site Visits, and Site Visits for Adding an Additional Campus
|
$350
|
$655 |
| Recertification |
N/A |
$0 |
Recertification
Some notes about recertification under the new rule, from an
SEVP guidance document:
- Recertification will occur in phases, i.e., not all schools will apply for recertification at the same time.
- SEVP has not yet begun the recertification process. Schools cannot apply for recertification until they have been notified to do so by SEVP.
- Each month following the first notification, SEVP will send 180-day notices to additional schools, until all schools currently eligible for recertification have gone through the process.
- A school cannot begin the recertification process until it receives its 180-day notice. The notice will be sent to the PDSO and all DSOs as well.
- After being recertified the first time, schools will receive a new certification expiration date, and will then have to apply for recertification before that date every two years thereafter.
New I-17 and Maintenance of School Certification Rules
The final rule also establishes the following changes:
- Alter the list of records a school is required to keep on individual students
- Specify I-17 upkeep requirements
- New rules for "out-of-cycle" review of certified schools, which DHS can institute at any time during a school's certification period.
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