The Department of State's BridgeUSA SEVIS Team asked J-1 Exchange Visitor Program sponsors for suggestions for improvement to "any part of SEVIS." Responses are due by Friday, November 4, 2022.

A November 1, 2022 USCIS news alert titled "ACICS Loss of Recognition May Affect Certain Students Applying for English Language Study and 24-month STEM OPT Extension Programs, H-1B, and I-140 Applicants," describes the possible impact on USCIS benefits of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools' (ACICS) loss of Department of Education recognition.

SEVP web pages note that on February 24, 2022, the ICE Counterterrorism and Criminal Exploitation Unit (CTCEU) was relaunched as the Counter Threat Lead Development Unit (CTLD).

USCIS officials responded to questions gathered by NAFSA’s International Student and Scholar Committee (ISS RP) in a presentation recorded as a supplement to the agency-focused 2022 regional conference sessions. Access the presentation slides and the recorded presentation on the NAFSA web site.

An October, 2022 USCIS alert on the Form I-129 launch page states: "As a reminder, as of August 11, 2022, USCIS no longer requires petitioners to submit a duplicate copy of Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, or a duplicate copy of any of the supporting documentation, unless USCIS specifically asks you to do so. Due to enhanced electronic scanning capabilities and data-sharing with the U.S. Department of State, duplicate copies are no longer needed to avoid delays in consular processing."

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) extended until January 24, 2023 the COVID-19 flexibilities it established for responses to Requests for Evidence (RFEs) and other similar response-based notices and requests, and filing date requirements for filing Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion.

SEVP recently updated its Form I-17 evidence checklists, which schools should begin using now. The updated checklists are downloadable on the Study in the States web page, as individual PDF files for each Form I-17 section, with separate sets of files for accredited and unaccredited schools. For convenience, NAFSA has also compiled the PDFs into two single files with bookmarks.

87 FR 62721 (October 17, 2022), Readability Changes for Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Nonimmigrant Status, adds tables of contents to DHS regulations at 8 CFR 214.2, including a master table of contents for the section and tables of contents for paragraphs f (F-1 students), h (H nonimmigrants, m (M-1 students), and 2 (CW-1 CNMI-Only Transitional Workers). The tables of contents "do not alter the operative regulatory text in any way and are intended to serve as a supplemental aid to make it easier to find information within the regulation."

On October 5, 2022, a U.S. Appeals Court upheld a 2021 District Court decision that found the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to be in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), but remanded the case to the district court to consider in light of DHS's August 30, 2022 final DACA rule scheduled to go into effect on October 31, 2022. In the meantime, DHS can continue adjudicating DACA renewals but will continue to be enjoined from approving new DACA applications.

On October 4, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with the Department of Homeland Security, denying Washtech's motion for summary judgement and granting DHS's cross-motion for summary judgement in this case that had challenged DHS authority for optional practical training (OPT) programs. Find a link to the decision on NAFSA's Washtech STEM OPT Litigation page.