[NewIntlStudents] Very important update for students entering the U.S. the next few months!

[New International Students]

International students entering the U.S over the next few months will need to be prepared for delays and a more thorough review of their documents as they are processed through port of entry.  
 
Due to recent events in Boston and the discovery that some individuals who may have been involved were admitted into the U.S. on "terminated/invalid" I-20's and expired F-1 visas, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State (DOS) is thoroughly reviewing procedures and policies related to international students. 
 
A recent internal memorandum by a high ranking U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official instructed all port of entry officers to verify the I-20, SEVIS record, and visa for all F-1 students and their dependents.  SEVIS is the DHS database that the ISSO uses to create a student's I-20 (F visa) and maintain a student's record (academic major, address, employment authorization, etc...).  Different DHS and DOS agencies have access to SEVIS.    
 
Port of entry officers at the "primary" point of inspection do not have access to the SEVIS database and have been instructed to refer all international students to the "secondary" point of inspection where officers have access to SEVIS.  This will mean that the processing time for international students through port of entry may increase significantly and students will need to be sure to schedule any travel plans to allow plenty of time to be processed through port of entry.  The new review process may take up to 3 hours or more for international students.  
 
This new review process is expected to last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months as CBP upgrades their system to be able to access SEVIS records directly at the "primary' point of inspection.  The ISSO will provide updates as we receive them.  
 
John Mark Jones, Director
International Student Services
Texas A&M University- Commerce
PO Box 3011
Commerce, TX 75429
Phone:  (903) 468-8144    
FAX:  (903) 468-3200
http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/international
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.tamuc.edu/pipermail/newintlstudents/attachments/20130507/e2a8574b/attachment.htm