Decoding the Latest GAO Report

Editor’s note: With multiple regulatory updates throughout the year that affect international students—and the international educators who work with them—International Educator  periodically asks NAFSA’s Director, Regulatory Practice Liaison, Steve Springer to provide insight and expertise on the latest government reports and regulations.

A recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) offers the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) seven recommendations for “manag[ing] fraud risks related to school certification and program oversight.” Designated school officials (DSOs) may be most interested in GAO’s recommendations that SEVP implement background checks and mandatory training, including fraud detection training, for DSOs. The report and SEVP’s recent regulatory agenda items provide some clarification on how the recommendations might be implemented, but they also raise questions.

DSOs are encouraged to read the entire report. Not only will DSOs appreciate the recommendation that SEVP reduce processing delays, they will also gain insight into SEVP’s concerns about “sham schools,” and even glimpse GAO’s use of covert means in auditing agencies. This article, though, focuses on the background check and mandatory training recommendations.

Enhanced DSO Background Checks

The report recounts prior GAO recommendations and finds that SEVP has made some progress toward reducing fraud risks, including “strengthen[ing] the process for vetting prospective DSOs.” It notes that SEVP implemented basic background checks on DSO nominees in 2017, and it recommends “strengthening” the background check process. SEVP informed GAO that it has been developing a plan to conduct more comprehensive background checks for several years.

In its formal response to