On November 14, 2025 the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) sent Broadcast Message 2511-03, Reminder to School Officials of SEVP On-Site Visit Authorities. NAFSA has transcribed the message below, adding hyperlinks to the cited regulations. The underlying regulatory provisions are not new.
Broadcast Message: Reminder to School Officials of SEVP On-Site Visit Authorities
To: All SEVIS users
Date: Nov. 14, 2025
BCM Number: 2511-03General Information
This message serves as a reminder from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) for principal designated school officials (PDSOs) and designated school officials (DSOs) regarding SEVP regulatory authorities related to compliance visits to certified schools. Please carefully read and review the following information to ensure your school remains compliant with all laws and requirements.
To ensure compliance with federal regulations, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel can conduct out-of-cycle, on-site reviews on the campuses of SEVP-certified schools to determine whether nonimmigrant students on those campuses are complying with DHS regulations pertaining to them. (8 C.F.R. § 214.3(i)). These out-of-cycle reviews are conducted to resolve questions or concerns about compliance and require that SEVP personnel be given immediate access to inspect the premises and interact with personnel including students and school officials on compliance issues. SEVP-certified schools are subject to out-of-cycle review at any time (8 C.F.R. § 214.3(e)(2)).
A school’s failure to comply with an out-of-cycle review will be treated as a voluntary withdrawal. (8 C.F.R. § 214.3(h)(3)(vii)). Alternatively, SEVP may choose to immediately suspend SEVIS access until the school fully complies with the on-site review and inspection. Note that out-of-cycle, on-site reviews are distinct from scheduled, on-site reviews which provide 30 days to comply (Compare 8 C.F.R. § 214.3(i) with § 214.3(h)(3)(vi)).
For questions about this message, please contact the SEVP Response Center (SRC) via phone at 703-603-3400 or 1-800-892-4829 or via email at [email protected]. The SRC is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, except for federal holidays.
Disclaimer
The Broadcast Message is not a substitute for applicable legal requirements, nor is it itself a rule or a final action by SEVP. It is not intended to, does not, and may not be relied upon to create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law by any party in any administrative, civil, or criminal matter.