Winter 2017 SEVP InFocus Webinar Dec. 14, 2017 Webinar Script · Winter 2017 SEVP InFocus Webinar—Script . 1 . Winter 2017 SEVP InFocus Webinar . Dec. 14, 2017 . Webinar Script

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

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Winter 2017 SEVP InFocus Webinar Dec. 14, 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. EST.]

Slide 2: Title Slide

LAUREN: • Hello everybody! • I’m Lauren Caricato and I’d like to welcome you to today’s Winter 2017 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 some hot topics. Your responses will help inform our communication efforts, so we really appreciate your input.

Slide 3: Housekeeping Notes

LAUREN: • We’ve got a lot to cover today, but 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

the webpages and resources 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 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/webinar/winter-2017-sevp-infocus-webinar


https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/assets/winter_2017_sevp_infocus_webinar_hyperlink_appendix.pdf

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/assets/winter_2017_sevp_infocus_webinar_presentation.pdf

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/assets/winter_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. As a reminder, we are not taking questions during today’s webinar.

• 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 the holidays approaching—please make sure you direct them to our webinar recording. That recording, along with all the resources just mentioned in the Webinar Resources pod, will be available on the Winter 2017 SEVP InFocus Webinar page, which is where you probably came to access today’s webinar.

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, our regular SEVP InFocus Webinar presenter, as well as by three SEVP field representatives, who will have the chance to introduce themselves during our special segment later in this presentation.

• Marissa, would you mind taking a brief moment to introduce yourself?

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.

Slide 5: Presentation Overview

LAUREN: • Thanks for that introduction Marissa. And for Dilhara, Cassie and Heather, we’ll get to you

in a few minutes. • As you can see on our agenda, we have a lot to cover today. I’ll let you read through the

agenda items yourself, but before we move on, I want to stress to please mark our Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey in your hyperlink appendix and make a note to complete it after the webinar. We’ll also have a few polling questions towards the end of today’s presentation, so make sure you stick around until the end to complete those!


https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/survey



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Slide 6: The Latest News

LAUREN: • Let’s get to it! We’re going to start this presentation with some timely reminders related to

the recent California wildfires. Even if your school is not in the affected area, given recent weather events, it’s always helpful to revisit tips and reminders related to campus emergency planning.

• For this segment, I want to bring in Cassie Hero, the SEVP field representative for Territory 12—which covers San Diego, California—to provide some reminders related to the recent wildfires and about campus emergency preparedness. Cassie, could you share this information with the audience?

Slide 7: Information from SEVP—California Wildfires

CASSIE: • Thanks, Lauren. • Even if you’re not a DSO in the affected area, these are helpful tips to know in the event

your school experiences an emergency situation. o First, please make sure that students maintain status during emergency events, such

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

enforcement. 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.

• SEVP is actively monitoring these situations as they unfold and is in contact with local field representatives to get an assessment of the situation on the ground. We reach out to affected schools and provide them with reminders and any reporting responsibilities.

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/maintain-f-and-m-status-in-emergency-events

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/maintain-f-and-m-status-in-emergency-events

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/webinar/sevp-ask-the-experts-webinar-campus-emergency-planning-and-the-international-student-community




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Slide 8: Information from SEVP—Ensure Students Maintain Status

CASSIE: • Our next slide contains additional tips and reminders to help DSOs ensure their students

maintain status during an emergency. o First, keep in contact with students during an emergency event. This will help ensure

students are aware of the actions they need to take to maintain their nonimmigrant student status.

o Second, remind students to keep important documents safe. We’ve listed examples of these documents on the slide.

o Third, make sure your students are aware of the resources available to them. This includes the two resources that I mentioned on the previous slide in addition to resources available from our government partners, like FEMA.

LAUREN: • Thanks for that information, Cassie. The links that Cassie just mentioned are included in

your hyperlink appendix. To everyone in California, if you’re listening, please stay safe during this difficult time.

Slide 9: Notifications and Follow-up

LAUREN: • With those reminders out of the way, let’s transition to discuss program news and updates

from SEVP. Marissa, can you kick us off with some of the latest news?

Slide 10: News for School Officials—Uploading Evidence in SEVIS

MARISSA: • Sure thing. I’ll get started with an exciting announcement for school officials. SEVP is

pleased to announce that, beginning early next year, DSOs will be able to upload and submit evidence directly in SEVIS.



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LAUREN: • That’s good to hear, Marissa, since folks have been waiting for this change. Uploading

evidence in SEVIS will be a change from the current process of submitting evidence via email. Can you talk through SEVP’s plan for a transition period to allow DSOs to adapt to the new process?

MARISSA: • SEVP plans to institute a 60-calendar-day transition period for stakeholders. During this

transition period, stakeholders will still be able to submit evidence via email. However, I do want to note that, at the end of the transition period, SEVP will cancel any updates that don’t provide evidence through SEVIS.

LAUREN: • Good to know. In what situations are DSOs required to submit evidence in SEVIS?

MARISSA: • We’ve listed the situations where DSOs must submit evidence in SEVIS on the slide. For

most folks in the audience, the biggest changes will be submitting evidence in SEVIS for Form I-17 updates and correction requests sent to SRC.

LAUREN: • Anything else folks should know about this change, Marissa?

MARISSA: • Yes, I have two quick notes here:

o Documents uploaded to SEVIS cannot be encrypted or password protected. DSOs: Please make sure you triple check your document’s security settings before uploading it to SEVIS.

o Additionally, I want to take this opportunity to remind folks that our filing evidence guides are located at ICE.gov/SEVIS/Schools under the Petition Updates tab. These guides outline what evidence you need to submit for each type of update, so please make sure you refer to these guides before you submit evidence in SEVIS.

https://www.ice.gov/sevis/schools


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LAUREN: • Great point, Marissa. For everyone watching, the Petition Updates page is included in your

hyperlink appendix. I strongly recommend that you download that appendix, open this page and bookmark it on your work computer. This way, you’ll be able to easily access and refer to the evidence guides when submitting Form I-17 updates.

Slide 11: Save the Date—SEVIS Upload Evidence Webinar

LAUREN: • If you want to learn more about the SEVIS upload functionality, I encourage everyone to

tune in to the SEVIS Upload Evidence Webinar next Wednesday, December 20. Marissa, could you tell folks more about this webinar?

MARISSA: • Sure thing. Before I get into detail, I want to note that this is the same webinar that was

originally scheduled for Friday, December 8, but due to technical difficulties had to be postponed until later in the month. During this webinar, SEVP representatives will preview the SEVIS upload evidence functionality and take live questions from the audience.

LAUREN: • Since this is a SEVIS webinar, do attendees need to register beforehand?

MARISSA: • Yes. Unlike our SEVP InFocus and SEVP Ask the Experts Webinars, registration is required

for this webinar. You can learn more about registering for this webinar on the SEVIS Upload Evidence Webinar page in the SEVIS Help Hub. We’ve included a link at the bottom of this slide and in your hyperlink appendix.


https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/learn-more/webinars/42155



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



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Slide 12: Ask the Audience—SEVP Webinar Recordings

LAUREN: • Let’s pause for a brief moment for a poll question. Sticking with the subject of SEVP-hosted

webinars, we want to get an idea of what types of webinar recordings you watch. Please take a moment to respond to the poll question at the bottom of your screen.

MARISSA: • While folks are responding to the poll, I want to jump in and note that recordings of our

SEVIS webinars, SEVP Ask the Experts Webinars and SEVP Special Report Webinars are available on the Study in the States Stakeholder Webinars page. Whether you missed a webinar or want to refresh your memory, these webinar recordings are a great resource.

LAUREN: • Thanks, Marissa. The link to the Stakeholder Webinars page is included in your hyperlink

appendix. • As always, I want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our poll. It

looks like a lot of you watch recordings for all of our different SEVP-hosted webinars, which is great to see.

Slide 13: SEVIS Enhancements—SEVIS Release 6.36

LAUREN: • It seems like there’ve been a lot of SEVIS changes recently. Marissa, could you briefly tell us

about SEVIS Release 6.36 that deployed this past November?

MARISSA: • Sure thing, Lauren. As you can see on the slide, SEVIS Release 6.36 introduced both new

functionality and fixes to existing functionality. We’ve listed some of the big changes included with this release on the slide, but I want to point folks towards the SEVIS Release 6.36 Planning Guide on the SEVIS Help Hub for a complete list of all changes associated with this release.

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/webinars

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/webinars



https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/learn-more/sevis-enhancements/sevis-release-636-planning-guide




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LAUREN: • Thanks, Marissa. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, both of those links—the SEVIS Help Hub and

the SEVIS Release 6.36 Planning Guide—are in your hyperlink appendix.

Slide 14: Follow-up—SEVP Portal Update

LAUREN: • Let’s move on to another hot topic involving SEVIS. Last year, we announced that SEVP was

developing the SEVP Portal, a tool to allow F-1 students engaged in post-completion OPT to report personal and employer information to SEVP. Marissa, can you share the latest SEVP Portal news with us?

MARISSA: • Of course. At this time, the SEVP Portal is currently in a pilot phase and is only available to a

select group of schools. However, I want to note that SEVP will notify stakeholders when the portal is launched for the entire academic community—we hope this will be in the near future. We’ve included a sample image of the SEVP Portal login page on the slide.

LAUREN: • It’s good to know that SEVP is making progress with the portal. Is there anything DSOs can

do in the interim to prepare for its launch?

MARISSA: • Yes, there is. When we first discussed the SEVP Portal last year, we noted that DSOs should

ensure students engaged in post-completion OPT have an up-to-date email address listed in SEVIS. With the portal launch approaching, I want to continue to stress that DSOs should ensure their student email addresses in SEVIS are correct. This will be very important when the portal launches to the entire academic community.

LAUREN: • Thanks, Marissa. I want to put a plug in here that DSOs should ensure that all of their

students, not just those on post-completion OPT, have an up-to-date email address listed in SEVIS.





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Slide 15: Update—SEVP External Training Application

LAUREN: • Our next topic introduces both a new resource and a new acronym for stakeholders. Many

of you have most likely taken the DSO training course on ICE.gov; however, what you might not know is that SEVP has plans to replace the existing modules with a new training. I’ll hand it over to Marissa to explain more about this training.

MARISSA: • The SEVP External Training Application, or SETA, is a new learning management tool for

stakeholders. SETA is currently under development, but, once complete, it will provide training on a variety of topics related to both SEVP and the international student process.

LAUREN: • Do you have any examples of these training topics, Marissa?

MARISSA: • I do, Lauren. They will cover a variety of topics, such as:

o Handling personally identifiable information; o SEVP history, oversight and federal regulations; o Scenario-based SEVIS training courses; and o A training course for the SEVP Portal.

LAUREN: • Based on those topics, it definitely sounds like SETA will be a great resource for both new

DSOs to learn about SEVP processes and for existing DSOs to refresh their memory on key program information. I know everyone has the same burning question—when can stakeholders expect to see this training?

MARISSA: • As I mentioned earlier, SETA is still under development. SEVP hopes to release the first

iteration in spring 2018, but I want to stress that this is a very tentative release date. As always, we’ll be sure to communicate any additional information—such as when SETA is

https://www.ice.gov/sevp


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scheduled for release and what will be included in each release—through Study in the States and SEVIS Broadcast Messages.

LAUREN: • Between the SEVIS upload evidence functionality, the SEVP Portal and SETA, SEVP really has

some exciting things in the pipeline for the future.

Slide 16: Recertification vs. Petition Updates—Know the Difference

LAUREN: • Before we move on to our next section, let’s close out with a few reminders related to

recertification and Form I-17 update processing. During our last SEVP InFocus Webinar, we announced the ability for schools to file for recertification with Form I-17 updates. However, we want to take some time now to shed a little additional light on this process. Marissa, can you provide some more detail?

MARISSA: • Sure. First, I want to start by emphasizing that Form I-17 updates are not the same as

recertification—these are two separate processes that serve two separate purposes.

LAUREN: • I’m sure most people are probably familiar with Form I-17 updates and recertification, but

maybe if you could take a minute to explain the difference for those folks who may not be as familiar with these processes?

MARISSA: • Of course. Remember, recertification occurs every two years to ensure schools remain

eligible to enroll international students and in compliance with federal regulations. During recertification, SEVP adjudicators will review your school’s Form I-17.

• In comparison, schools are required to submit Form I-17 updates whenever information on the form changes. Additionally, federal regulation requires schools to report certain changes within 21 days.

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/



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• I want to emphasize that adjudication of a school’s Form I-17 update is not considered recertification. A school must apply for recertification when notified of its CED.

LAUREN: • Thanks for that explanation, Marissa. It certainly does help schools prepare for

recertification if they update their Form I-17 throughout the year.

MARISSA: • Yes, it does. But, as you mentioned earlier, SEVP recently deployed SEVIS functionality that

allows schools to file for recertification with Form I-17 updates. In some instances, schools may wish to file an update to the Form I-17 at the same time as recertification.

• We’ve included some important information for schools using this option on the slide. However, I want to specifically highlight that schools cannot make updates to ownership or instructional sites when filing for recertification. You must submit these as separate Form I-17 updates with all required evidence.

LAUREN: • Any other reminders for folks?

MARISSA: • As I mentioned when discussing the SEVIS upload evidence functionality, DSOs should make

sure that they consult the evidence guides on ICE.gov when preparing to file a Form I-17 update. If your school is making an update while filing for recertification, absolutely make sure that you submit the required evidence for the update with your recertification package. This will ensure the process goes smoothly for all involved.

Slide 17: Form I-17 Updates Processing Times—What Stakeholders Need to Know

LAUREN: • Thanks for that reminder, Marissa. Sticking on the subject of Form I-17 updates, as always, I

know that processing times continue to be a hot topic for stakeholders. Do you have any information to share with folks?

https://www.ice.gov/sevp


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MARISSA: • Before we get into specific processing times, I want to stress how important it is that

stakeholders understand what goes into the Form I-17 update process. We get a lot of questions from folks about why certain updates take longer to process than others, and there are numerous reasons for the differences in update processing times.

• We’ve included some general information about how SEVP processes Form I-17 updates on the slide, but I want to point folks towards the SEVP Ask the Experts Webinar recording that we did in July 2017, where we went behind the scenes of Form I-17 updates and gave a thorough explanation of the update process. If you missed the webinar earlier this year, I strongly encourage you to watch the webinar recording and review the resources on Study in the States to help deepen your understanding of Form I-17 updates.

LAUREN: • Good to know, Marissa. I want to point out that the link to that webinar recording is

included in your hyperlink appendix. What are the current update processing times?

MARISSA: • As you can see on the slide, the minimum average for all Form I-17 updates is 90 business

days, which is about four and a half months, while the average processing time for PDSO and DSO updates remains at 10 business days.

LAUREN: • Could you provide a little more information about what goes into these numbers?

MARISSA: • Sure. I want to note that the 90-business-day processing time does not include PDSO or

DSO updates—this number is the average for all other types of Form I-17 updates, like an update to a school’s telephone number. In short, this average shows that SEVP does process a lot of updates within 90 business days; however, there are always going to be some updates that take quite a bit longer.

• In comparison, the 10-business-day processing time for PDSO and DSO updates applies specifically to stand-alone updates that are submitted with all required evidence up front. If

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/webinar/sevp-ask-the-experts-webinar-behind-the-scenes-of-form-i-17-updates





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you submit a PDSO or DSO update with another update, or forget to include a required document, the time to process your school official change may take longer.

Slide 18: Don’t Forget

LAUREN: • Thanks for that information, Marissa. I think it’s always helpful for stakeholders to know

exactly what goes into these processing times. With that, let’s move into our next section, which provides tips and reminders for school officials.

Slide 19: Verify Your School Officials—SEVIS Annual Verification

LAUREN: • We’ll start with a piece of timely information. The SEVIS Annual Verification period kicked

off earlier this month. Marissa, what do stakeholders need to know?

MARISSA: • Any DSO who has logged in to SEVIS since December 2, 2017, should have seen a reminder

about the SEVIS Annual Verification period. This period means that the school’s PDSO must log in to SEVIS between now and March 2, 2018, and confirm that all current SEVIS users:

o Are still employed by the organization and serve as a PDSO or DSO, and o Require continued SEVIS access.

• This is an important action that the PDSO is required to take each year to comply with federal information system regulations. Failure to complete this annual verification will result in loss of SEVIS access for all DSOs at the school.

LAUREN: • Thanks for that reminder, Marissa. For all PDSOs watching today: Absolutely make sure you

complete the annual verification before that March 2 deadline. And for all DSOs watching, make sure you remind your PDSO about this important process so you don’t lose SEVIS access on March 3.


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Slide 20: Students and OPT Reporting—Reminders for DSOs

LAUREN: • Our next two slides highlight an important reminder related to students and reporting

suspected OPT fraud. All DSOs received a SEVIS Broadcast Message last month entitled “Important Reminders about Students and OPT Reporting.” However, we want to take the time during this webinar to briefly review the information in this message. Marissa, can you elaborate?

MARISSA: • First, stakeholders should remember that OPT is an opportunity for international students

to gain valuable experience during their program of study. However, while participating in OPT, students must comply with all U.S. laws and regulations. Failure to do so may result in students being designated as out of status and subject to removal from the United States.

• As part of this reminder, F-1 students that witness fraudulent activity by an OPT recruiter or company should report it to the HSI Tip Line—we’ve included the contact information on your screen and in your hyperlink appendix. It is extremely important that students are aware that they need to report this information as soon as possible.

LAUREN: • Thanks for that information, Marissa. Does SEVP have any tips for DSOs that would apply

here?

Slide 21: Students and OPT Reporting—Tips for DSOs

MARISSA: • Yes, we do. We’ve listed three important tips for DSOs on the slide, such as ensuring that

students understand the rules and regulations relating to OPT and that those using recruitment agencies ensure these agencies are trustworthy and reputable. SEVP strongly encourages that DSOs share these tips with their students during a regular meeting or via an email to students currently engaged in or applying for OPT.

https://www.ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Document/2017/bcm-1711-02.pdf

https://www.ice.gov/tipline



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LAUREN: • Good to know. Regardless of how you communicate it, these are important tips that DSOs

should communicate to their international students. If folks have any additional questions, you can review the Practical Training section on ICE.gov for more information.

Slide 22: Ask the Audience—Students and OPT Reporting

LAUREN: • Let’s pause for another poll question. We want to take a quick pulse check to see if DSOs

were aware of the recent reminders about students reporting suspected OPT fraud. DSOs, we want to know: Have you notified your students about reporting reminders related to OPT fraud? Please select one of the options on your screen.

• Thanks everyone for taking the poll. For those DSOs who have not notified your OPT students about this information, please make sure to do so as soon as possible to ensure your students continue to comply with federal regulations.

Slide 23: Facts + Figures

LAUREN: • As part of our next section, we’re going to transition to look at some interesting statistics

related to how SEVP has used stakeholder feedback over the past year to improve our internal processes and develop new resources.

• But I don’t want to spoil this section, so I’ll hand it over to you, Marissa, to talk through the following slides.

MARISSA: • Thanks, Lauren. Before I get started, I want to stress that SEVP really does listen and

respond to stakeholder feedback. We receive feedback from a lot of different sources—whether during a conference, through SRC or an SEVP field representative—and we use this feedback to help improve our processes and communication.

https://www.ice.gov/sevis/practical-training

http://www.ice.gov/sevp


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Slide 24: SEVP Year in Review—Responding to Stakeholder Feedback (Intragovernmental Collaboration)

MARISSA: • Our next slide looks at collaboration with our government partners. Based on feedback

from conference attendees, we heard that (1) you wanted to see more conference sessions where SEVP presents alongside our government partners, and (2) you wanted to learn about how SEVP works with our government partners on areas of joint responsibilities.

• As the numbers on the slide indicate, SEVP actively presented with and to our government partners throughout 2017. Our trainings to government partners teach them about SEVP’s mission, while our presentations communicate information about shared responsibilities and processes.

• As you’ll learn later in this presentation, SEVP used your feedback about wanting to hear more about intragovernmental collaboration to launch the new Government Voices Webinar Series.

Slide 25: SEVP Year in Review—Responding to Stakeholder Feedback (Government Transparency)

MARISSA: • Next, let’s look at updates to the Trends and Improvements section on Study in the States.

For those of you who might be unfamiliar with this section, Trends and Improvements seeks to increase government transparency by providing the most up-to-date information about how the government is responding to stakeholder feedback.

• As you can see on the slide, we updated this section five times over the past year to capture how SEVP has implemented stakeholder feedback on topics such as pathway programs and SEVP field representative knowledge and utilization.

• If you haven’t had a chance to read through this section, I strongly encourage you to take some time to browse through the different topics.


https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/trends-and-improvements

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/trends-and-improvements/policy/pathway-programs

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/trends-and-improvements/policy/pathway-programs

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/trends-and-improvements/customer-service-and-outreach/field-representative-knowledge-and-utilization


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Slide 26: SEVP Year in Review—Responding to Stakeholder Feedback (Study in the States Blog Posts)

MARISSA: • One of the main ways we use stakeholder feedback is to develop Study in the States

content, whether it’s through a blog post or a resource page. When we hear from you that there’s a topic causing confusion or there’s just something you want to know more about, we work with our subject matter experts to develop new blog posts or other resources. On this slide, you can see a few of the blog posts we developed over the last year that were the direct result of stakeholder feedback.

Slide 27: SEVP Year in Review—Responding to Stakeholder Feedback (Study in the States Resource Pages)

MARISSA: • Similarly, this next slide looks at how we’ve used your feedback to create new Study in the

States resource pages. We’ve heard from our English language training and M-1 stakeholders that you need more resources on Study in the States specific to your area of focus, and we’ve worked hard over the past year to begin building out this audience-specific content. We’re constantly working to improve information on Study in the States, so please take every opportunity to provide feedback to us.

LAUREN: • That was certainly an informative section, Marissa. It’s great to see how SEVP is actively

working to address stakeholder feedback and really taking stakeholder suggestions into consideration.

• Before we move on, I want to note that the links to all web pages just mentioned—the Trends and Improvements section, blog posts and resource pages—are included in your hyperlink appendix. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to download this resource before the end of the webinar.







https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/trends-and-improvements



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Slide 28: Ask the Audience—SEVP Response to Stakeholder Feedback

LAUREN: • Now that we’ve just covered the ways that SEVP responds to your feedback, we want to

hear about how well you think we’re doing. Please take a moment to respond to the poll question on your screen and provide your opinion as to how well SEVP responds to stakeholder feedback.

• Thank you for taking the poll, everyone. If you’re wondering about how to provide feedback to SEVP, you can do so either by filling out our Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey or by contacting your local field representative or SRC.

Slide 29: SEVP Field Representative Panel

LAUREN: • As I mentioned at the beginning of today’s webinar, today we’re joined by three SEVP field

representatives for a special segment to take an inside look at their duties and day-to-day activities. Most folks are probably already familiar and hopefully have a good relationship with their local field representative, but we heard that you wanted to take a deeper dive into this subject.

• With that, I’ll hand it over to our panelists to introduce themselves and walk through this section!

DILHARA: • Hi everyone. I’m Dilhara Barber, the SEVP field representative for Territory 20. For the next

few minutes, my colleagues and I are going to: o Take a moment to provide an overview of our mission, duties and responsibilities; o Discuss best tips for DSOs about how to interact with your local field representative;

and o Highlight other information of interest.



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Slide 30: SEVP Field Representative Panelists

DILHARA: • As I mentioned, I’m Dilhara Barber and I’m the SEVP field representative for Territory 20,

which includes Oklahoma and Arkansas. I’ve been with SEVP for a little over two years and before working with SEVP, I was a DSO at the University of Georgia.

CASSIE: • Hi everyone, I’m Cassie Hero. I’m the field representative for Territory 12, which includes

San Diego, California—so my territory is a little bit smaller than Dilhara’s. Before becoming a field representative, I worked in the SEVP School Certification Unit as the Initials Team Lead and also spent some time working with updates and recertification.

HEATHER: • Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Heather Young, the field representative for Territory 35. My

territory encompasses the state of Tennessee. I previously worked at Vanderbilt University and also held a PDSO and DSO role for 15 years.

Slide 31: Ask the Audience—SEVP Field Representatives

MARISSA: • Before we get too far into the presentation, I want to jump in here with a brief poll

question. We want to take a minute to get your opinion on your relationship with your local SEVP field representative. Please take a moment and respond to the question on your screen.

• Wow, it’s great to see that so many of you have such a positive relationship with your field representative! Heather, I’ll hand it back to you for the next slide.

Slide 32: Overview—SEVP Field Representative Mission

HEATHER: • Thanks, Marissa. The information on this slide should be familiar to most folks. But, as a

reminder, SEVP field representatives serve as direct day-to-day liaisons between SEVP and


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SEVP-certified schools. We provide localized support to school officials and help enhance national security by encouraging an understanding of federal rules and regulations. We’re here to help DSOs understand the regulations surrounding international students and SEVP-certified schools. However, we also report any suspicious activity, fraud or neglect through our established communication channels.

Slide 33: SEVP Field Representative Regions and Territories

DILHARA: • The map on this slide shows the location of SEVP field representative territories in the

United States. Field representatives are divided into three regional groups: Eastern, Central and Western. Each region is comprised of 20 field representatives, for a nationwide total of 60 field representatives. Right now, SEVP has deployed field representatives to 54 of those territories. We have four additional field representatives scheduled to deploy in January 2018.

• If you’re wondering how SEVP divided these territories, it’s based on the number of SEVP-certified schools in a specific geographic area.

Slide 34: Overview—SEVP Field Representative Duties

CASSIE: • This slide highlights SEVP field representative duties. Field representatives typically meet

with SEVP-certified schools in their territory at least once per year. We’ll usually reach out to the DSOs at the school to schedule a visit in advance.

• We are really here to help school officials. We’ll work with you to help you understand SEVP processes, such as recertification. We’ll work with you to provide support and answer questions. Additionally, we help explain SEVP rules and regulations and provide information about program changes, such as upcoming SEVIS enhancements. Finally, we attend conferences in our territory.


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Slide 35: Overview—SEVP Field Representative Training

HEATHER: • Before deployment, SEVP field representatives must complete an eight-week training

program at SEVP headquarters and pass a final exam. This training includes legislative and regulatory training; SEVP policies, processes and procedures; and a review of frequently asked questions. SEVP may add training topics based on stakeholder feedback.

• Additionally, during training, field representatives visit other agencies to learn about their duties and intragovernmental collaboration. For example, field representatives may visit CBP, CTCEU and the U.S. Department of State to learn about those agency’s specific processes.

Slide 36: Ask an SEVP Field Representative—SEVP Field Representative Weekly Schedule

MARISSA: • I want to jump in quickly here with a question for our panelists. We’ve heard that

stakeholders want to learn more about what your average week looks like. Would you all be able to shed some more light on your weekly schedule?

DILHARA: • A typical week in my territory includes about three to four school visits a day, Monday to

Thursday, with a great deal of driving. Visits outside of Oklahoma City generally require leaving home around 7:30 in the morning or earlier. With two- to three-hour round-trip journeys to complete the visits, I am usually home around late afternoon. If I’m traveling overnight, I might leave around 7:30 in the morning and not arrive at my hotel in Arkansas until about 5 or 6 in the evening. The rest of the day is spent completing administrative items, constructing school visit follow-up emails and answering inquiries from DSOs.

• Fridays are generally set aside for administrative items, so I’m able to spend the day scheduling school visits, catching up on the latest program news and preparing for upcoming visits.


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CASSIE: • In comparison, my territory is quite a bit smaller than Dilhara’s. A typical week for me

consists of preparing for, going to and writing reports for school visits. Any additional time is spent scheduling these meetings and answering emails from schools.

HEATHER: • My territory is on the larger side, so I also spend a lot of time driving. My week involves

driving in Tennessee to meet with school officials, responding to emails−and there are a lot of those−and completing administrative reports.

Slide 37: Field Representative Unit Updates

DILHARA: • This next slide looks at current SEVP field representative vacancies. Right now, there are

vacancies in the following areas: o Baltimore, Maryland;* o Detroit, Michigan;* o Kansas City, Missouri;* o San Antonio, Texas;* o Raleigh, North Carolina; and o St. Louis, Missouri.

• If you see an asterisk next to a location on the slide, that means that we have a field representative scheduled to deploy to that territory in January 2018. In the interim, school officials in these territories can continue to contact SRC for assistance. We have their contact information at the end of this presentation

Slide 38: Ask an SEVP Field Representative—Working with Your SEVP Field Representative

MARISSA: • Okay, here’s another question for you. Do you have any tips for DSOs to help enhance their

relationship with their field representative? Dilhara, let’s start with you again.


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DILHARA: • My first tip is: School officials should review the school’s Form I-17 prior to a school visit.

This will help school officials come up with any questions about record maintenance or other items.

• Next, I find quick responses to emails to be extremely helpful. Responding quickly can allow us to make arrangements that work for everyone. In large territories, scheduling can be difficult since schools are spread out over a large geographic area, and we need to make travel arrangements before the visit. Also, please make sure that a school official responds even if your school’s PDSO isn’t available for a meeting.

CASSIE: • My first tip is for school officials to include your school’s name and school code in the email

subject line. • I find email preferable to calling. Since I’m out conducting school visits for most of the day, I

don’t get a chance to pick up my phone, but I may have a chance to look at my email. I’ll also check email when I get back to my house each night.

• Finally, please let us know if your office or location of the meeting changed since our last school visit. We get in a habit of going back to the last meeting’s location, so please let us know if this is no longer the case.

HEATHER: • I encourage DSOs to please send questions in advance of a school visit. This will help me

prepare to answer the question during the visit and bring any resources, such as handouts, to the visit. Also, please be up front about your training needs and concerns−we are here to help and can schedule trainings to help you better understand certain topics.

• Next, if you need to cancel a meeting the day of, please call your field representative as soon as possible. We might already be on the road to your school and not have the chance to read an email while on the road.

• After a visit, please complete the SEVP Field Representative Feedback Form. I’ll usually follow up with the DSO after a visit and provide a link to that form. This form is very important and helps our leadership improve field representative processes.


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• As Cassie said, please let us know about the parking situation at your school. If your school is less busy during the summer and more parking is available, then recommend that we schedule a meeting during this time. Also, please let us know where a nearby parking garage is and if the garage requires payment. This will all help ensure that we arrive at your school visit on time.

Slide 39: Enhancing Customer Service—Serving Stakeholders

CASSIE: • As I mentioned, field representatives are here to provide help to you through school visits

and conference presentations. This next slide looks at some statistics related to SEVP field representative outreach since our deployment. As you can see, we’ve conducted more than 40,000 school visits and attended more than 280 conferences.

Slide 40: Ask an SEVP Field Representative—What You Wish DSOs Knew

MARISSA: • Let me jump in here with one final question to round out today’s segment. Given your

experience in the field, what are the top things you wish DSOs knew about SEVP field representatives?

DILHARA: • I’ll start with saying that field representatives can provide the same general, non-case

specific SEVP information as the SRC. This is why we strongly encourage DSOs to reach out to the field representative in their territory for assistance with questions. We can answer questions outside of school visits, so please don’t hesitate to reach out. Waiting to ask a question could put your school out of compliance.

• Also, field representatives can advise on SEVP-specific issues only. We can only provide information that USCIS, CBP or the Department of State shares with us, so we may not have an answer for some of those questions that are intended for our intragovernmental partners.


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CASSIE: • As I’ve said, we want to use every meeting as an opportunity to educate DSOs−we’re here

to provide assistance and to teach you about SEVP processes. • On a personal note, I admit that I’m bad with names but much better with faces. So, it

might be taking me awhile to learn everyone’s names, but I’m trying. Please don’t get offended if I ask your name after the first visit.

HEATHER: • One thing I want to stress is that field representatives are not required to meet with all

PDSOs and DSOs listed on the Form I-17. We understand the difficulty of scheduling meetings and know that everyone may not be available at once. We’re required to meet with at least one DSO listed on the Form I-17 during a visit, but can also meet with other school officials.

• Another item that I want to stress is that field representatives cannot expedite your pending Form I-17 update or give a detailed timeline of how long it will take to adjudicate your update. Finally, we don’t have the ability to unlock your SEVIS account−you will need to contact SRC for that resolution.

Slide 41: Helpful Resources

LAUREN: • Thanks for that great session, Dilhara, Cassie and Heather. • We’ll now move into our final section, which highlights some of our newest stakeholder

resources. As we go through this section, you’ll notice that we have a few feedback questions on the screen about today’s webinar. Please take a second to respond to these questions.

• Marissa, while folks are taking these polls, can you talk through these new resources?


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Slide 42: New Stakeholder Resource—Government Voices Webinar Series

MARISSA: • I want to start by officially announcing the Government Voices Webinar Series. Given the

feedback that you want to learn more about how different government agencies work together, we’re introducing a new webinar series that will invite our government partners to discuss their role in the international student process.

LAUREN: • That’s really exciting, Marissa! What will these Government Voices Webinars discuss?

MARISSA: • Government Voices Webinars will primarily cover areas of joint responsibility between

agencies. For example, CBP and SEVP may hold a Government Voices Webinar focusing on best practices for international student travel.

LAUREN: • I am sure that these webinars will be of interest for both DSOs and those stakeholders with

an interest in the international student process, since we know that process involves multiple government agencies.

MARISSA: • Yes, we’re hoping that these webinars will be a great resource for the entire academic

community. Before we move on, I want to highlight that, like our SEVP webinars, Government Voices Webinars will be free and open to the public.

LAUREN: • Good to know. When is the first webinar?

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/webinar/government-voices-webinar-exploring-the-international-student-life-cycle



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Slide 43: Save the Date—Government Voices Webinar: Exploring the International Student Life Cycle

MARISSA: • The slide you’re looking at contains information about our first Government Voices

Webinar, which is scheduled for January 31, 2018. During this webinar, presenters from SEVP, USCIS, CBP and the Department of State will walk through their role in the international student life cycle.

LAUREN: • This webinar is going to be more of a high-level overview, correct?

MARISSA: • Correct. But I encourage DSOs and stakeholders with all years of experience to tune in to

this webinar because during this session, our presenters will talk about topics such as student travel and employment.

LAUREN: • Thanks, Marissa. For everyone listening: Make sure you mark your calendar now for

January 31, 2018, from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. You can also visit this webinar’s specific page on Study in the States to download a Save the Date calendar invitation—we’ve also included this link in the hyperlink appendix. If you’re unable to make the webinar, as always, a recording will be available on Study in the States shortly after the event.

Slide 44: New Resource Page—English Language Training

LAUREN: • Keeping with the theme of stakeholder feedback, I believe our newest resource page was

also the product of feedback from the academic community?






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MARISSA: • Yes, it was. In response to stakeholder feedback, we launched a resource page designed

specifically for English language training programs. On this page, stakeholders can find information about:

o Full course of study requirements for students engaged in English language training, o Information about transferring and employment for English language students, o Annual vacation reminders, and o An overview of the pathway programs guidance series.

• We really hope that this page will be a useful resource for all of our stakeholders from English language programs.

LAUREN: • Thanks, Marissa. I believe we have one more new resource to discuss—can you share with

everyone?

Slide 45: Enhanced Resource—Redesigned Ask a Question Tool

MARISSA: • Yes. Before we wrap up, I want to note that Study in the States will deploy an enhanced Ask

a Question tool in the coming days. This enhancement will update the functionality and content of the Ask a Question feature to allow users to read through frequently asked questions. And I want to note that these questions will be organized into categories so users will be able to easily locate specific categories.

Slide 46: Engage with SEVP—Stay Connected

LAUREN: • Great to know! With that, let’s move on to our final slides. If you haven’t already, please

make sure that you take a moment to complete the polls on your screen. • Marissa, would you mind telling folks about how they can stay connected with SEVP?

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/english-language-training

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/answer




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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. • Some specific things that we want to highlight are the SEVP Spotlight and 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 47: SEVP Values Your Feedback

LAUREN: • 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 48: SEVP Contact Information

LAUREN: • 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. We have a few of those coming up soon—Christmas Day, Monday, December 25, and New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1—so just be sure to keep those in mind. And you can always reach out to us via the email addresses you see on the screen.

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/conferences


https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/conferences

https://www.facebook.com/StudyintheStates

https://twitter.com/studyinstates

https://www.linkedin.com/company/student-and-exchange-visitor-program?trk=biz-companies-cym




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• Before we sign off, I want to encourage everyone to please take a moment to complete the polls listed on your screen if you haven’t already. Thanks to Marissa, Dilhara, Cassie, Heather and all those that joined today!

• Hope everyone has a great holiday season!

Slide 49: Webinar Closing Slide

[Slide 49 displays until the Adobe Connect room closes at the conclusion of the webinar.]