Back in March of this year, Louis Farrell, Director of the Student and Exchange Visitors Program (SEVP), e-mailed a letter to all members of SEVIS, reminding PDSOs, DSOs, and school owners that they must comply with Recertification Notices in a timely manner; failure to do so could result in an institution’s withdrawal from SEVIS. Mr. Farrell wrote that, “Typically, one-third of the schools contacted to file for recertification each month fail to file during the 180 days they are given to file.” In light of the serious consequences of failure to file on time (i.e., losing permission to issue Form I-20), it amazes me that school owners and administrators are not giving this issue the attention it demands. The code is very strict:
“Federal regulation 8 CFR §214.3a)ii) Consequence of failure to petition. SEVP will serve a Notice of Intent to Withdraw (NOIW) to the school 30 days prior to a school’s certification expiration date. SEVP will no longer accept a petition for recertification from the school and will immediately withdraw the school’s certification if the school does not petition for recertification, abandons its petition, or does not submit a complete recertification petition package by the certification expiration date, in accordance with the automatic withdrawal criteria in 8 CFR 214.4(a)(3). The school must comply with 8 CFR 214.4(i) upon withdrawal.”
