SEVIS Release 6.82.2, implemented on May 30, 2025, revised the "Disciplinary Action" page in F-1/M-1 SEVIS RTI. The SEVIS Release 6.82.2 Planning Guide (May 21, 2025) described the changes as follows:
Updated the Disciplinary Action page fields:
- Explanation of Disciplinary Action Taken: Added 1000-character limit countdown to open text field. These comments will appear on the Form I-20.
- Was this disciplinary action taken as the result of the conviction of a crime:
- Changed response options to Yes or No radio buttons.
- Changed to Required field.
On May 23, 2025 SEVP alerted SEVIS users to the change in SEVP Broadcast Message 2505-03, SEVIS Notice - SEVIS Release 6.82.2, which said that the release will affect SEVIS RTI in the following ways:
- "Update the Disciplinary Action page to improve designated school officials (DSOs) reporting of such actions.
- Improve the Event History so that SEVIS users, including DSOs, see when an action has been reported to the student's SEVIS record."
The SEVIS Help Hub page Report School Disciplinary Action as Result of Student Crime Conviction, last updated June 2, 2025 following the implementation of SEVIS Release 6.82.2, still contains the following warning on reporting disciplinary actions in SEVIS:
"Warning: Disciplinary action that requires reporting in SEVIS is limited to actions that are taken that is a direct result of a criminal conviction. Do NOT use this function to report actions that are not crime-related, such as:
- Placement on academic probation
- Student life infractions
Note: This does not terminate the student record."
That warning in the SEVIS Help Hub is consistent with IIRIRA 641(c)(1)(D) [8 USC 1372(c)(1)(D)] and 8 CFR 214.3(g)(2)(ii)(D), both of which require schools to only report disciplinary actions taken as a result of the student's conviction of a crime.
The prior programming of SEVIS before the implementation of SEVIS Release 6.82.2 reflected this understanding as well. The Disciplinary Action page in SEVIS simply asked the DSO making the report to confirm (by checking a single check box) that "This Student has had Disciplinary Action taken as a result of being Convicted of a Crime," and provides an "Explanation" text box to explain the circumstances. Here is a screen shot of the prior page:
The SEVIS RTI page revised by SEVIS Release 6.82.2, though, removed the statutory/regulatory-based language that's on the current page, and replaced it with a yes/no choice to the question "Was this disciplinary action taken as the result of the conviction of a crime?" Here is a screen shot of the current page as revised by SEVIS Release 6.82.2:
Some conjecture that this could imply that SEVP would like schools to report disciplinary actions that were not taken as a result of the student's conviction of a crime as well, despite that type of information not being specifically required by statute or regulation.