Compliance Management

2020 NAFSA Virtual Regional Agency-Focused Sessions

September 16, 2020

In order to provide access to information from government officials that would have otherwise been available at 2020 NAFSA Regional Fall Events, the NAFSA International Student Scholar Regulatory Practice (ISS RP) Committee has coordinated with government agencies to record presentations similar to

Broadcast Message 2008-03: SEVP to Mail Notices to OPT Students Without Employer Information

On August 28, 2020 SEVP sent DSOs Broadcast Message 2008-03: SEVP to Mail Notices to OPT Students Without Employer Information, informing them of its plan to mail notices to OPT students "who have not reported employer information and have exceeded 90 days of unemployment." The message SEVP plans to

Applying for a Social Security Number When Applying for an EAD on Form I-765

Update: A news outlet reported in March, 2025 that an unpublished Social Security Administration (SSA) memo informed SSA offices that it "is temporarily pausing the Enumeration-Beyond-Entry (EBE) process for noncitizens granted work authorization (I-765)." Secret policy shift could overwhelm Social

DOS Policy on Interview Waiver Eligibility

Revised Visa Interview Waiver Policy In a September 18, 2025 Interview Waiver Update, the Department of State announced that effective October 1, 2025 it will add "Applicants renewing an H-2A visa within 12 months of the prior visa’s expiration when the prior visa was issued for full validity at the

CIP 2010 to CIP 2020 Conversion in SEVIS

Download the 2020 DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List from ICE.gov The conversion from CIP 2010 to CIP 2020 was accomplished in SEVIS Release 6.55, implemented on October 16, 2020. CIP codes are shared by all SEVIS categories, F, M, and J. SEVP's SEVIS Release 6.55 Planning Guide contains

Temporary Use of I-797 Approval Notices Due to COVID-19 EAD Production Delays

Due to past delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS has authorized temporary and limited use of an I-797 EAD approval notice (not a receipt notice) as a List C # 7 document that establishes employment authorization (but not identity) for I-9 purposes. To qualify: The I-797 approval notice must

USCIS Reminder to Enter OPT Employment Info in SEVIS

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) sent the following email to stakeholders on August 18, 2020. The message is also posted on the USCIS web site as a news alert. From: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Sent: August 18, 2020 Subject: USCIS Reminds

Iranian Students and Online Coursework

Iran has been subject to numerous U.S. sanctions for decades. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) administers and enforces most of these sanctions. OFAC maintains a resource page that presents the complicated and numerous Iran sanctions. One part of the Iran

NAFSA Resource on SEVP's 2022-23 COVID-19 Guidance for F-1 Schools

The outcome for students under SEVP's March 2020 Guidance, which continues to apply for the 2022-23 academic year, depends to some degree on the following factors: Location: Is the student outside or inside the United States? Program Type: Is the student's program of study All Online, Hybrid, or In

SEVP 2020 FAQs on COVID-19

SEVP posted a revised set of COVID-19 FAQs dated August 7, 2020 at www.ice.gov/doclib/coronavirus/covid19faq.pdf, which merged its July 24 "Clarifying Questions" and its July 15 FAQs into a single document, revising some of the FAQs "to reflect the fall 2020 semester," and to archive and rescind