I-17 Petition for Approval of School Attendance by a Nonimmigrant Student
1. Overview
- I-17 Certification is the process an institution must complete to obtain the necessary approval from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) required to enroll international students.
- An I-17 must accurately reflect the institution’s current operations and departments at the time the petition is filed.
- School officials may not accept a student for enrollment as an international student unless school officials receive notification from SEVP that they have successfully completed the SEVP certification process.
- The institution’s Principle Designated Service Officer (PDSO) is the only individual with the authority to access the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), update an I-17, and apply for recertification.
- In the case of petitions for initial certification and requests to change an approved instructional site or add a new instructional site to an existing I-17, an in-person site visit must be scheduled with a SEVP representative. The representative will inspect physical facilities and investigate the institution’s processes and regulations pertaining to international students.
2. Recertification
- An institution’s I-17 Certification must be renewed every two years. To keep its certification, an institution’s PDSO must submit a complete recertification package through SEVIS prior to its certification expiration date.
- If an institution makes edits to its I-17 concurrently with recertification, it must also submit the evidence required for the adjudication of those fields with the recertification filing. Failure to submit evidence of I-17 edits with the recertification will result in the SEVP rejecting the recertification submission.
- Substantial updates, which include a change of ownership, a change of location, and the addition of an instructional site location, must be submitted separately from recertification as a petition update prior to submitting for recertification.
3. Amendments to I-17
- Regulations require schools certified by the SEVP to report any changes to Form I-17. Any changes to the information on Form I-17 require an update within 21 days of the change. Failure to follow this regulation may result in withdrawal of a school’s SEVP certification.
- If an update requires supporting evidence, the institution must also upload the evidence required for adjudication concurrently with their updates in SEVIS. If a school fails to upload evidence at the same time it submits the update in SEVIS, SEVP may cancel the request and ask that the school resubmit the request with the required evidence.
- Changes to approved instructional sites and the addition of new instructional sites require an in-person site visit from a SEVP representative prior to approval.
- If an institution is seeking to add a program to their I-17, international students cannot be accepted into the program until it has been approved by the SEVP. Consequently, there should be no recruitment of international students for a program which has not been approved by the SEVP.
4. Adding a Program to Form I-17
The following documentation must be provided for each additional program for which your school is seeking approval to issue Forms I-20:
- A Program of Study Description which will include the following information:
- Program name
- Degree type (if non-degree, specify non-degree program type)
- Visa classification
- Date on which instruction of the program ORIGINALLY began at your school
- Mode of delivery (for example, is the program in-person, online, distance, hybrid or low residency)
- Program hours
- For credit hour programs: Indicate the total credit hours a full-time student must take each academic session and the time (in days/weeks/months/years) necessary to complete the program. Provide a breakdown of the total credit hours per academic session into the following categories: lecture, lab, employment, internship/externship, and curricular practical training, if applicable.
- For clock hour programs: List the total clock hours for EACH week and the number of weeks it takes to complete the program. Provide a breakdown of the total clock hours per week into the following categories: lecture, lab, employment, internship/externship, and curricular practical training, if applicable.
- For F programs only: If any of the programs have a hybrid, low residency, and online component(s) or both, provide a breakdown of the total credit or clock hours of either hybrid, low residency, online instruction or all per academic session.
- For programs where there is a difference between coursework conducted in clock and credit hours (for example, one program component is calculated in clock hours and another in credit hours): The school must provide SEVP evidence showing equivalency to meet the credit or clock hour requirements of 8 CFR 214.2(f)(6)(i)(A), (B), or (D) from a combination of the two components.
- Instructional site(s) at which the program(s) will be taught, including the address(es)
- Admission standards and enrollment criteria
- Attendance Policy Outline: A detailed outline of the school’s attendance policy—if policy has changed or is new.
- School Catalog: A recent copy of your school’s catalog in PDF format—if catalog has changed or is new.
- Grading Policy: A recent copy of your school’s grading policy—if grading policy has changed or is new.
- School Type Information: A business license or Internal Revenue Service tax documentation indicating the operation of your institution as a For-Profit or Non-Profit entity.
- Financial Information: A copy of your institution’s Certified Financial Statement, signed by its accountant. The statement must be the most recent statement within one calendar year. Tax documents are NOT accepted.
- Evidence of Accreditation: A current copy of the institution’s certificate of accreditation, letter of accreditation, or both from an U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. The documentation must include evidence of accreditation for all instructional sites (including the physical address and specific campus name) and all programs for which the school is seeking SEVP certification.
- Proof of State Recognition/Exemption:
- Proof of Recognition: Documentation issued by the applicable state educational oversight body showing the school has authorization to operate in that state.
- Proof of Exemption: Documentation issued by the applicable state educational oversight body showing the school is exempt from obtaining authorization to operate in the state or evidence of the statute, regulation or law that exempts your school from obtaining authorization to operate in the state.NOTE: If applicable, the evidence submitted must indicate the effective date and expiration date of state licensure or exemption.
5. Adding or Editing Location on Form I-17
- For a new location or changes to an SEVP-certified physical address, upload each of the following:
- Physical location: Description of the facilities, including the number of classrooms used for instruction, the maximum capacity of each classroom, the purpose of each classroom (for example, instruction, lab, computer), and a labeled floor plan of each building and floor.
- Capacity: Official document(s) issued by either the fire marshal or other state or county government body indicating the maximum capacity for each building of the school, for each location listed on the Form I-17.
- A copy of the rental or lease agreement (if leasing space)
- If editing the physical address of an SEVP-certified record location or instructional site (and there is no actual change of location), upload each of the following:
- A statement on school letterhead that is signed by the PDSO explaining the edit(s) made
- Proof that there has been no actual change of location and the school remains at its same