Slide #1
Welcome to Part II of the SEVIS training for new sponsor officials. In the first presentation, Part I, we discussed both the Program Information and the Exchange Visitor Information pages. We explained the stages exchange visitors go through during their stay in the Unites States on the J-1 visa, and how their SEVIS records are affected. We also showed how to create an exchange visitor record.
In this part, Part II, we will show how to maintain exchange visitor records. This includes viewing records in Initial status and what actions can be performed in this status. We will also look at actions that can be performed in Active status. We will show the transfer process and also how to view the event history associated with a record.
In the final part, Part III, we will introduce useful features for finding records such as Alerts, Search, and Lists. We will also show Reports and the Download feature.
We will talk about other systems that interface with SEVIS and, finally, we will talk about account maintenance rules and resources to get additional information.
Slide #2
Disclaimer:
This presentation provides guidance for using SEVIS. It does not replace the Exchange Visitor Program regulations found in 22 CFR Part 62. To obtain administrative guidance on the Exchange Visitor Program, the Exchange Visitor Program regulations, or program or exchange visitor issues and concerns, contact the Department of State’s Office of Designation, Private Sector Exchange.
Slide #3
Now we will look at the various actions and events that are used to maintain exchange visitor records.
Slide #4
This is the Exchange Visitor Information page. It displays all biographical and program information entered when the record was created. The record is in Initial status and the exchange visitor is subject to 212(e). Notice the program begin and end dates. At the bottom of the page is the site of activity block, and the spouse/dependent block. Clicking the dependent SEVIS ID opens the dependent page.
The exchange visitor, site of activity and spouse/dependent information can be updated by clicking the links on the Edits menu. The Actions menu includes the Amend Program, Cancel EV, No Show, Reprint DS-2019 and Validate Program Participation links. All changes to the record are captured in the Event History.
Slide #5
Updates in Initial status are restricted after the exchange visitor obtains their visa and the visa information displays on the record. Before the visa is issued, all edits are available. After the visa information is on the record, only the category and subject/field can be edited, and a spouse or dependent can be added. If the exchange visitor’s category is Secondary School Student or Au Pair, the Residential Information can also be updated after a visa has been issued.
Slide #6
When the record is in Initial status, the sponsor official can perform the following actions:
- The first is Amend Program. It is used to update both program begin and program end dates;
- The next is Cancel EV. This action is used to change the status to Invalid. If the status is changed, the form allotment is incremented by 1 as the form is not being used;
- The RO or ARO can also use the No Show action. This action is used to change the status to No Show. This status change does not affect the form allotment;
- The RO or ARO can reprint the DS-2019 by using the reprint action;
- And finally, there is the Validate Program Participation action. This action is used to change the status to Active when the exchange visitor begins the program.
We will now go through a couple of simple actions frequently used by sponsor officials, such as Amend Program and Validate Program.
Slide #7
Clicking the Amend Program link on the Exchange Visitor Information page opens the Amend Program page. Notice the Program Begin and End Dates on the page. In our case, the exchange visitor will start their program earlier, and the Program Begin Date needs to be updated. The Program End Date is not changing. However, both fields may be updated if needed. Update the Program Begin Date, enter required Remarks and click the Amend Program button to save the changes.
Amend Program is a two-step process for Intern, Trainee and Student Intern records. After changing the program dates, the phase dates need to be updated to correspond with the new program dates.
Slide #8
After the exchange visitor has entered the United States and is ready to begin their program, the program participation needs to be validated within 30 days of the Program Begin Date. Clicking the Validate Program Participation link on the Exchange Visitor Information page opens the Validate Program page. The first step in the validation process is adding a physical address for the exchange visitor if one has not previously been entered. Click the Add Address link to open the Add Address window.
Slide #9
All U.S. addresses must be validated through a tool that verifies them against the U.S. Post Office system. To enter a U.S. Address, the RO or ARO must enter at least the street address and the zip code. The city and state may also be entered. Use the Other field to enter additional information about the address. This field is not validated. Click the Submit button to run the address validation.
Slide #10
A different Add Address window will open if the address can be validated. The validation returns a suggested address and an entered address. If the address that was entered contains a matching city, state and zip code, the system allows you to override the suggested address. If the Override Suggested Address link is clicked, you must provide a reason for the override. The system will add a 4-digit routing code to the address that was entered. Click the Select button to choose the suggested address.
Slide #11
The suggested address displays on the Validate Program page. An email address and the U.S. telephone number must be entered for the exchange visitor if the program is not run by the U.S. government. This means, that if the exchange visitor program number at your organization does not start with a G, this information is required. Clicking the Validate Program button changes the status of the record to Active.
Slide #12
This is the Exchange Visitor Information page when the record is in Active status. All edits to the exchange visitor information are available under the Edits menu. The Actions menu in Active status has different options.
Slide #13
This table shows the actions that are available in Active status. The second column displays requests which must be reviewed by the Department of State: Change of Category Request and Extension Beyond the Maximum Duration of Participation.
Slide #14
There are certain categories that include the actions from the previous slide as well as others that are specific to them. This table shows the category and the additional actions that are available when the records are in Active status.
Slide #15
On the Exchange Visitor Information page, click the Site of Activity link to view a list of all the sites of activity for the exchange visitor.
Slide #16
From the Site of Activity Menu page, a site of activity can be edited, a new site can be added, or you can change the primary site of activity. To change the primary site of activity, click the radio button associated with the site that should be the new primary site. An informational window will display to let you know that the primary site of activity selection has been changed. You can click the Print Final DS-2019 button to print the updated Form DS-2019 which now displays the new primary site of activity.
Slide #17
To access the J-2 record, click on the SEVIS ID link of the J-2 on the Exchange Visitor Information page.
Slide #18
The Dependent Information page displays information about the J-2 spouse or dependent. The record is in Initial status and includes the menu of available actions for the J-2 record, including Edit, Invalidate, No Show, and Reprint DS-2019. Updates made to the J-2 record have no effect on the J-1 record. For example, the Invalidate action is performed when a Form DS-2019 was created for the J-2 spouse or dependent and the sponsor learns that the person will not be coming to the United States. Click the Invalidate link to open the Invalidate Spouse/Dependent page.
Slide #19
Enter required Remarks. Clicking the Invalidate button changes the status of the J-2 record to Invalid.
Slide #20
The Exchange Visitor Spouse/Dependent Menu page shows that the J-2 record is now in Invalid status, while the J-1 and the other J-2 record remains in Initial status.
Slide #21
In some cases, the status of an exchange visitor’s record needs to be changed. This table shows actions that are used to make the various status changes. Certain actions are only available for specific time periods. The second column shows when the actions are available. Notice that Reinstatement and Reinstatement – Update SEVIS Status require payment of fee, supporting documentation and review by the Department of State.
Slide #22
Now we will talk about the transfer of the SEVIS record to another program sponsor.
Slide #23
Click the SEVIS to SEVIS Transfer link on the Exchange Visitor Information page to initiate the transfer process.
Slide #24
The SEVIS to SEVIS – Exchange Visitor Transfer page opens. Enter the Effective Date of Transfer, Receiving Program Sponsor Number and click the Validate Transfer button. The system displays the name and program number of the program the exchange visitor will be transferring to, known as the transfer-in program. Clicking the Approve Transfer button will approve the transfer. The transfer out program can cancel the transfer any time prior to the Effective Date of Transfer.
Slide #25
On the date entered as the Effective Date of Transfer, the status of the Exchange Visitor’s record will change to Transferred at both the transfer-out program and the transfer-in program. At the transfer-out program, the RO or ARO can still view the record and see the Event History.
Slide #26
After the official at the transfer-out program clicks the Approve Transfer button, the transfer-in sponsor officials will be able to see the exchange visitor on the list of Transfer In Exchange Visitors and Dependents on the list page. However, the exchange visitor’s record will not become available for editing at the transfer-in program until the Effective Date of Transfer.
Slide #27
On the Effective Date of Transfer, the transfer-in officials can access the transferred record and update it. Click the Edit DS-2019 link to start editing the Form DS-2019 for the exchange visitor. If the record is not edited and the program participation at the new program is not validated within 30 days of the Effective Date of Transfer, the system will automatically change the status of the record to No Show.
Slide #28
Creating a transfer-in record follows the same process as creating an initial record. Some fields from the transfer-out sponsor record will be populated on the new record. These fields include personal information, contact information and the exchange visitor’s category. The Program Begin Date and Program End Date also transfer. The Program End Date can be updated as long as the program duration does not extend beyond the maximum duration of participation for the exchange visitor’s category. Spouse/dependent data also transfers. Program, funding and site of activity data does not transfer from the transfer-out record. This data must be entered during the transfer-in process.
Slide #29
When the record is submitted, the system displays the confirmation message that the SEVIS to SEVIS transfer-in has been successful. The record stays in Transferred status until it has been validated.
Slide #30
Only three actions are available for the Transferred record after the Form has been edited: No Show, Reprint DS-2019 and Validate Program Participation. The Validate Program Participation action changes the status of the record to Active at the new program.
Slide #31
Now we will look at the events associated with the record by viewing the Event History.
Slide #32
Clicking on the Event History link on the Exchange Visitor Information page opens the Event History page. All the actions taken on the exchange visitor’s record will display. The events are displayed with the most recent event at the top. Some events have a plus sign to the left of the event name. Clicking on the plus sign expands the event, so you can see the details of the event. The before and after values of the fields that changed during the event will display. Click the minus button to collapse the details.
Slide #33
The Event History page uses a widget to allow the users to sort and filter the events. The Expand All button expands all the events that can be expanded, so the user does not have to click on each plus sign. Enter data into the Search field to filter the events. If the word “address” was entered in the field, the page would display all events that contain the word “address”. The events can be filtered by date range by entering dates in the From and To fields and clicking the Filter button. Click the up and down arrows associated with the column heading to sort by that specific column.
Slide #34
This is the end of Part II. Watch and listen to Part I to learn about program information and creating exchange visitor records. Watch and listen to Part III to learn about other available features in SEVIS.
