[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 8, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2005]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 8CFR214.12]

[Page 376-377]
 
                     TITLE 8--ALIENS AND NATIONALITY
 
               CHAPTER I--DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
 
PART 214_NONIMMIGRANT CLASSES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 214.12  Preliminary enrollment of schools in the Student and 
Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).

    (a) Private elementary and private secondary schools, public high 
schools, post-secondary schools, language schools, and vocational 
schools are eligible for preliminary enrollment in Student and Exchange 
Visitor Information System (SEVIS), beginning on or after July 1, 2002, 
but only if the school is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized 
by the United States Department of Education, CAPE, or AACS, or in the 
case of a public high school, the school provides certification from the 
appropriate public official that the school meets the requirements of 
the state or local public educational system and has been continuously 
approved by the Service for a minimum of three years, as of July 1, 
2002, for the admission of F or M nonimmigrant students. A school may 
establish that it is accredited by showing that it has been designated 
as an eligible school under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 
1965.
    (b) Preliminary enrollment in SEVIS is optional for eligible 
schools. The preliminary enrollment period will be open from July 1, 
2002, through August 16, 2002, or, if later, until the Service begins 
the SEVIS full scale certification process. The process for eligible 
schools to apply for preliminary enrollment through the Internet is as 
follows:
    (1) Eligible institutions must access the Internet site, http://
www.ins.usdoj.gov/sevis. Upon accessing the site, the president, owner, 
head of the school or designated school official will be asked to enter 
the following information: the school's name; the first, middle, and 
last name of the contact person for the school; and the e-mail address 
and phone number of the contact person.
    (2) Once this information has been submitted, the Service will issue 
the school a temporary ID and password, which will be forwarded to the 
e-mail address listed. When the contact person receives this temporary 
ID and password, the school will again access the Internet site and will 
electronically

[[Page 377]]

enter the school's information for its Form I-17.
    (c) The Service will review the information by a school submitted as 
provided in paragraph (b) of this section, and will preliminarily enroll 
a school in SEVIS, if it is determined to be eligible under the 
standards of paragraph (a) of this section. If the officer determines 
that the school is eligible for preliminary enrollment, the officer will 
update SEVIS and enroll the school and permanent user IDs and passwords 
will be automatically generated via e-mail to the DSOs listed on the 
Form I-17. Schools that are not approved by the Service for preliminary 
enrollment will be notified that they must apply for certification in 
accordance with the Interim Certification Rule. A school that is granted 
preliminary enrollment will have to use SEVIS for the issuance of any 
new Form I-20 to a new or continuing student.
    (d) Schools granted preliminary enrollment in SEVIS will not have to 
apply for certification at this time. However, all such schools will be 
required to apply for certification, and pay the certification fee, 
prior to May 14, 2004.
    (e) Eligible schools that meet the standards of paragraph (a) of 
this section, but do not apply for preliminary enrollment in SEVIS prior 
to the close of the preliminary enrollment period will have to apply for 
certification review under the Interim Certification Rule and pay the 
certification fee before enrolling in SEVIS. However, once a school 
meeting the standards of paragraph (a) of this section applies for 
certification review, the Service will have the discretion, after a 
review of the school's application, to allow the school to enroll in 
SEVIS without requiring an on-site visit prior to enrollment. If the 
Service permits such a school to enroll in SEVIS prior to completion of 
the on-site visit, the on-site visit must be completed prior to May 14, 
2004.
    (f) Schools that are not eligible to apply for preliminary 
enrollment in SEVIS under this section--including flight schools--will 
have to apply for certification under the Interim Certification Rule, 
pay the certification fee, and undergo a full certification review 
including an on-site visit, prior to being allowed to enroll in SEVIS.

[67 FR 44346, July 1, 2002]