Proposed Rule On SEVIS Fees And Recertification

On April 21, 2008, DHS published a proposed rule that would raise the SEVIS I-901 fee, set standards for recertification of F-1 and M-1 schools, and modify schools' record-keeping and reporting requirements. The rule proposes an October 1, 2008 effective date. The public comment period on the proposed rule ended June 20, 2008.

Read NAFSA's comment letter.

SEVIS I-901 Fees

IIRIRA § 641(g)(2) allows DHS to “on a periodic basis, revise the amount of the fee ... in order to take into account changes in the cost of carrying out the program.” The proposed rule would:

• Raise the SEVIS I-901 fee for F-1, M-1, and J-1 nonimmigrants
• Raise the fee for initial SEVIS school certification for F/M schools
• Schools would not have to pay a fee for recertification. The proposed rule's supplementary information [p. 21266] states that "The cost of recertification is incorporated in the I–901 SEVIS fee."

Item	Current	Proposed
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 program (program code starts with G-1, G-2, or G-3)	$ 0	$ 0
F or M School Initial Certification	$ 230	$ 1700
Initial Certification Site Visits	$ 350	$ 655
Recertification	$ 0	$ 0

Recertification

• Specify basic requirements for applying for F or M certification and recertification

School Recordkeeping and Reporting

• Alter the list of records a school is required to keep on individual students
• Specify I-17 upkeep requirements