Countdown to SEVIS
The office of International Education Services at Portland State University is preparing for compliance with the internet-based Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which is expected to be up and running Jan. 30, 2003.
SEVIS is a real-time tracking program run by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) that will allow the exchange of information about international students between the INS, educational institutions, and foreign consulates and embassies.
Funding for SEVIS came from the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act, passed by congress in October 2001, and was a response to rumors that some of the terrorists involved in the Sept. 11 acts were traveling with expired student visas.
Christina Luther, assistant director of International Education Services at PSU, said her biggest concern is that international students don’t realize how much the implementation of SEVIS will affect them. She said students who fail to maintain status will lose their student visa privileges and could be deported.
“The number one thing to do is maintain your status,” Luther told students at a Nov. 5 workshop.
A failure to maintain status means a student fails to comply with one or more of the conditions of the visa. If a student forgets to report a change of address, decides to drop from full-time to part-time enrollment without advance approval or decides to attend a different school without completing all the proper paperwork, the student runs the risk of deportation.
The rules and conditions for maintaining status are not new, but because administrators will have to report to SEVIS on every international student each term, there is more pressure on students to be extra careful and responsible.
Administrators experienced a certain level of flexibility when reporting students with a paper-based system. SEVIS, on the other hand, runs in real-time. Once the information has been entered, it’s set in stone and can be accessed immediately by a number of institutions worldwide. If a student fails to communicate with administrative staff or certain data is entered incorrectly, the INS could act on misinformation that would be devastating to a student.
The information, which advisers will have to report about each international student to SEVIS, includes enrollment status, a change of name or address, early graduation, academic or disciplinary actions taken due to criminal conviction, failure to maintain status or complete a program of study and other data generated by standard procedures such as program extensions, school transfers, changes in level of study, employment authorizations and reinstatement.
Needless to say, this puts a lot of pressure on administrators as well.
Jill Townley, an international student adviser, is concerned that her position as an advocate for the students will be compromised as a result of SEVIS. She and Luther fear students won’t feel comfortable confiding in advisers anymore because they know problems will have to be reported. Townley is already experiencing difficulty balancing increased responsibilities as an administrator with the desire to support students.
“We’re doing the best we can,” she said.
To help the office of International Education Services adapt to SEVIS, Portland State bought a software program that maintains and organizes student information. The system also provides three chances for advisers to check the information they enter before submitting it to SEVIS, which reduces the risk of human error.
Luther and Townley still fear negative consequences to PSU will result from the implementation of SEVIS. Disruption of teaching and research programs, as well as a decreased number of international students, are possible side effects.
The up side of moving to an electronic system, said Luther, is that students can expect faster turnaround time with INS forms, applications and visas.
Sam Majam, a graduate student in engineering management, said he’s concerned more about tuition hikes than about SEVIS.
“I don’t think it’ll deter people from coming to the U.S.,” Majam said about the new tracking program.
Instead, Majam worries that the rising tuition rates make it harder for him to maintain status. Though he’s one of the fortunate few international students to receive a scholarship, he still has to work to pay for school. If tuition continues to rise, he might be unable to pay his bill on time, putting him out of status.
In an effort to inform international students about their rights and responsibilities at this time in the United States, International Education Services is hosting informational sessions through the end of November.
The next session will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 4 to 6 p.m. in Hoffman Hall and is for students in the Intensive English Language Program only.
Two more workshops will be held, also in Hoffman Hall, for all international students, on Nov. 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. and on Nov. 27 from 3 to 5 p.m.
