ICE consists of three directorates to accomplish the agency’s mission, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Management and Administration (M&A).
ICE's primary mission is to promote homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration.
Catch up on ICE’s most popular news stories from the week ending March 25, 2016
To ensure openness and transparency and to better serve those seeking more information about ICE and its operations, the agency centralized processing of all ICE-related Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in a single office.
Share
On Dec. 12, 2016, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it no longer recognizes the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) as an accrediting agency. This decision affects more than 16,000 international students in the United States attending nearly 130 Student and Exchange Visitor Program-certified schools that are accredited by ACICS. For detailed information and guidance, students and schools should visit the ACICS Loss of Accreditation Recognition Information page.
Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified schools are subject to a review of their certification at any time based on federal regulation. Upon this review, SEVP can exercise its authority to withdraw schools and/or terminate certain initial and active student records for noncompliance with SEVP regulations. Visit the School Alerts page for a list of schools that have been withdrawn and instructions students should follow.
On March 27, 2013, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published an interim final rule in the Federal Register to automate Form I-94. The new Form I-94 automation process took effect on April 30, 2013. With the new automated Form I-94 process, the CBP Officer will create an electronic automated arrival Form I-94 record during the admissions process for nonimmigrants entering the United States at an air or sea port, with information already available in various law enforcement databases. A paper Form I-94 will still be issued at the land border ports of entry, and CBP intends to continue to provide a paper Form I-94 to certain classes of aliens, such as refugees, certain asylees and parolees, and whenever CBP determines the issuance of a paper form is appropriate.
For more information regarding the Form I-94 automation please review the list of resources below:
This content was last updated May 1, 2013.
SEVIS by the Numbers is a quarterly report using data from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). The report is a snapshot of relevant and useful information including the number of nonimmigrant students in the United States, top places of origin, and nonimmigrant student demographics.
Visit Mapping SEVIS by the Numbers: An interactive mapping tool where users can explore international student data from SEVIS by the Numbers. This information is viewable at the continent, region and country level and includes information on gender and education levels for international students from geographical areas across the globe.
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Approved | School certified by SEVP to enroll foreign nationals into F and/or M programs of study |
| Denied certification | School that SEVP has certified to not be eligible to enroll foreign nationals into F and/or M programs of study for any reason given in 8 CFR 214.4 |
| Denied recertification | School previously certified by SEVP to enroll foreign nationals into F and/or M programs of study which has filed for recertification but which is no longer eligible to enroll F and M students for any reason given in 8 CFR 214.4 |
| Withdrawn | School from whom SEVP has removed certification because the school is found to be no longer eligible to enroll foreign nationals into F or M programs of study for any reason given in 8 CFR 214.4, or the school has chosen to relinquish certification. |
| Term | Description | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abandonment of the AOS | If the student leaves the United States with a pending AOS petition, USCIS automatically denies the AOS petition | ||||||
| Academic year | School year divided in one of the following ways:
| ||||||
| Adjustment of status (AOS) | Formal, documented request to change from one nonimmigrant status to another | ||||||
| Advance parole | Previous permission granted by USCIS to return to the United States after leaving the United States with a pending Form I-485 (for someone who wants to change from nonimmigrant status to LPR status) | ||||||
| Alternate responsible officer (ARO) |
| ||||||
| Authorized benefits | Any advantage or legal status assistance (e.g., OPT, a driver’s license and employment) | ||||||
| Authorized break | Specific time period in which an F or M student has official DHS permission not to enroll in classes. (e.g., DHS allows an F or M student to take one annual vacation break per year (usually during the summer) in which the student does not have to enroll in classes) | ||||||
| Authorized early withdrawal | Permission a DSO can give to the F or M student seeking to officially stop a program of study before the program end date | ||||||
| Authorized overseas study | Formal, academic education opportunity, including graduate research and formal classes or programs, before the end of the authorized period of stay A DSO must give permission for an F-1 student to pursue this in a country other than the United States, and the study must contribute to the completion of a program of study. | ||||||
| Authorized period of stay | Amount of time an F or M student may stay in the United States for a program of study, including one of the following:
| ||||||
| Avocational | Educational activity relating to a hobby or pursuit of interest (purely for enjoyment) but not for a particular academic or vocational goal | ||||||
| Benefits application | Documents with which a nonimmigrant applies for specific programs and permissions open to a nonimmigrant who maintains active status (e.g., an F or M student must complete a benefits application to obtain a driver’s license or Social Security number) | ||||||
| Border commuter student | Certain Canadian or Mexican citizens/residents who continue to live no more than 75 miles inside the border of that country but who cross the border daily to attend an SEVP-certified school in the United States | ||||||
| Campus | A subset of a school; regulations do not require to have its own Form I-17 to be SEVP-certified | ||||||
| Cap gap extension | Automatic extension of status and OPT authorization (If granted, the cap gap extension allows F-1 student to maintain status during the time between the end of F-1 status and the beginning of H-1B status) | ||||||
| Cap gap | The period of time between an F-1 student’s program end date and the start date of H-1B status | ||||||
| Change of status (COS) | Moving from one type of visa status to another (e.g., a change of visa status from F-1 to H-1B requires adjudication from USCIS) | ||||||
| COS application | Form I-539 to officially request permission to change from one visa status to another | ||||||
| Class of admission | Categories within a visa type (e.g., the F visa has several categories including the F-1 student and F-2 dependent) | ||||||
| Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) code |
| ||||||
| Clock hour | A period of time consisting of one of the following:
| ||||||
| Community college | Post-secondary, undergraduate educational school offering lower-level (freshman (first year) and sophomore (second year)) classes These schools gear their operations more toward commuter students and do not usually have on-campus living arrangements. | ||||||
| Computer-Linked Application Information Management System (CLAIMS) | Computer system USCIS uses to track immigration status for the purpose of benefit application authorization or employment authorization | ||||||
| Continuing exchange visitor | A J-1 exchange visitor who maintains status in a single program | ||||||
| Continuing student | An F or M student who has terminated or not completed enrollment in a program of study and has maintained status | ||||||
| Control number | Number at the top of the payment coupon, or document, printed when a prospective F or M student chooses to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee by check or money order | ||||||
| Coupon | Document (payment coupon) printed when a prospective F or M student chooses to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee by check or money order. SEVP matches this document’s payment information with information the student fills out online at FMJfee.com. | ||||||
| Courier service | A for-profit company (not the United States Postal Service or the postal service of any other country or nation) that provides mail and document delivery. (e.g., FedEx, UPS and DHL are for-profit delivery services) | ||||||
| Current information | Relevant personal data about an individual (e.g., an F or M student must provide the DSO or RO with personal data (name, address, phone number, etc.) and report any changes to that data promptly) | ||||||
| Current status | Measurement of whether or not a nonimmigrant followed the requirements DHS and DoS set for a visa classification | ||||||
| Curricular practical training (CPT) | Alternative work/study, internship, cooperative education required as a part of an F or M student's curriculum and offered by a sponsoring employer through cooperative agreement with a school (See 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(i)) The DSO must authorize CPT before a student begins work | ||||||
| Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer | U.S. government official stationed at a port of entry who examines travel documents and interviews a prospective immigrant or nonimmigrant who wants to enter the United States | ||||||
| Data fix | Manual change DHS makes in SEVIS. A DSO cannot change all data in SEVIS; some data only a DHS official can change. | ||||||
| Deferred inspection location | Area or office at a port of entry where a nonimmigrant may need to go for further questioning | ||||||
| Department of Homeland Security (DHS) | U.S. government department that contains, among others, USCIS, CBP and ICE | ||||||
| Department of State (DoS) | U.S. government department that issues visas at consulates and embassies as well as manages the J visa programs within the United States | ||||||
| Dependent | Spouse or minor child with F-2, M-2 or J-2 status in SEVIS | ||||||
| Designated school official (DSO) |
| ||||||
| Distance/online education | F or M student attends class and completes requirements "principally through the use of television, audio, or computer transmission including open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, or satellite, audio conferencing, or computer conferencing" 8 CFR 214.2(f)(6)(i)(G) | ||||||
| Duration of status (D/S) | Admissions designation stamped on the Form I-20 or the Form I-94 allowing an F or M student to stay in the United States while maintaining status (no exact date because the F or M student has the option to transfer among schools, change education levels or change visa status) | ||||||
| Educational level | Phase in an F or M student’s studies leading to a specific educational goal (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate or certificate programs) | ||||||
| Elementary | In compulsory education, whether public or private, generally includes kindergarten through sixth grades | ||||||
| Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) | USCIS automated system that "collect(s) such information … necessary to issue a travel authorization, as reflected by the I-94W" (see 8 CFR 217.5(c)) for visitors who travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. ESTA application can be any time prior to travel, but DHS recommends early application. | ||||||
| Eligibility benefits | Qualification to receive an advantage or assistance because of a visa status | ||||||
| Emergent circumstance | World event that negatively impacts a group of citizens in a country other than the United States The DHS Secretary can issue guidelines that offer "special student relief" to F or M nonimmigrants from that country residing in the United States. | ||||||
| Employment authorization | Permission to work in the United States for a specific period of time and under certain circumstances (authorization sometimes from USCIS and sometimes a DSO or RO) | ||||||
| E-Verify | Internet-based system for employers to "determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States" | ||||||
| E-Verify employer | Employer who uses E-Verify | ||||||
| Exchange visitor | Nonimmigrant with J-1 status for a specific purpose (e.g., temporary faculty, business trainees, medical trainees, etc.) DoS administers the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program | ||||||
| Exchange visitor program sponsor | "Legal entity designated by the Secretary of State … to conduct an exchange visitor program" (see 22 CFR 62.2) | ||||||
| Fiscal year | "Accounting period for the federal government which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30" | ||||||
| Flag removal | DHS removes warning or notice from nonimmigrant’s SEVIS record after a DSO’s formal request via Form DS-160 | ||||||
| Full program of study | Number of credit hours or clock hours DHS requires an F or M student to enroll in and attend | ||||||
| Full-time employment | Scheduled work for more than 20 hours per week | ||||||
| Full-time study | Number of credit hours or clock hours DHS requires an F or M student to enroll in and to attend during a term | ||||||
| Gig | Entertainer’s engagement or job for a limited period of time | ||||||
| Grace period | Amount of time after or before a program end date in which a nonimmigrant must leave the United States | ||||||
| H-1B | Nonimmigrant visa class for temporary employment that requires a theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields, such as science, engineering or computer programming | ||||||
| H-1B cap | Limit on the number of people who may receive H-1B status from USCIS per year | ||||||
| High school | Generally includes grades nine through 12 (sometimes also known as senior high school) in compulsory education, whether public or private | ||||||
| I-901 SEVIS fee | Payment required for an F, M or J nonimmigrant, which covers processing and administrative costs | ||||||
| Internal Revenue Service (IRS) | U.S. government tax collection agency that "administers the Internal Revenue Code enacted by Congress" | ||||||
| Junior college | Post-secondary, undergraduate school offering lower-level (freshman (first year) and sophomore (second year)) classes (usually have on-campus living arrangements) | ||||||
| Lawful permanent resident (LPR) | Immigrant with official, documented permission to live in the United States | ||||||
| Maintain status | Comply with regulatory requirements to remain in the United States or to continue to receive a benefit | ||||||
| Minor child | Dependent under 21 years of age | ||||||
| National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) | "Primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education" | ||||||
| Non-academic study |
| ||||||
| Nonimmigrant | Person entering the United States to visit, study or work (depending on the type of visa) temporarily but not to stay permanently in the United States | ||||||
| Normal academic progress | The standard amount of time it takes an average student to complete a particular program of study (listed on the F or M student’s Form I-20) School officials determine the time it takes to complete a program of study. | ||||||
| National Security Entry/Exit Registration System (NSEERS) | DHS required nonimmigrants from certain countries to register upon entry to and exit from the United States but suspended the program on April 29, 2011. | ||||||
| Off-campus employment | Work that does not take place on the campus whose DSO issued the Form I-20 to the F-1 student (see 8 CFR 214.2(f)(9)(ii)) | ||||||
| Off-campus employment authorization | Official permission for an F-1 student to work off campus (see 8 CFR 214.2(f)(9)(ii)) | ||||||
| On-campus employment |
See 8 CFR 214.2(f)(9)(i) | ||||||
| Optional practical training (OPT) | Employment that directly relates to a student's program of study.
See 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii) and 8 CFR 214.2(m)(13). | ||||||
| Part-time | 20 hours or fewer per week (see 8 CFR 214.2(f)(9)(i)) | ||||||
| Passport | Official document from a person’s country of citizenship that attests to the person’s identity and status as a citizen | ||||||
| Payment coupon | Document (coupon) printed when a prospective F or M student chooses to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee by check or money order. SEVP matches this document’s payment information with information the student fills out online at fmjfee.com. | ||||||
| Port of entry (POE) | DHS-designated place where a person may apply for entry into the United States (i.e., international airports, seaports and land border crossings) | ||||||
| Post-completion OPT | OPT that occurs after the F or M student’s program end date | ||||||
| Pre-completion OPT | OPT that occurs before the F or M student’s program end date | ||||||
| Principal designated school official (PDSO) |
(the equivalent of the RO for J exchange visitor programs) | ||||||
| Private primary | Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in a non-public (not government-run) school | ||||||
| Program end date | The final day of a program of study and the last day an F or M nonimmigrant may stay in the United States (not including the departure grace period) | ||||||
| Program of study | Organized plan of coursework a school requires for a degree or certificate | ||||||
| Program start date | Date by which an F or M student or J exchange visitor must report to a SEVP-certified school and begin a program of study | ||||||
| Public high school | Government-run secondary school (generally grades nine through 12 and may be called senior high school to differentiate from a middle school (grades six through eight) or a junior high school (grades seven and eight) | ||||||
| Recreational | Class or classes taken for fun, not for official academic, vocational or professional gain (available to any F, M or J nonimmigrant) | ||||||
| Reduced course load (RCL) | F or M student enrolled in and taking classes or credits less than the full amount normally required for an F or M student (but "at least six semester or quarter hours, or half the clock hours required for a full course of study") (must have official, documented permission and may only do so for a limited time) See 8 CFR 214.2(f)(6)(H)(iii) | ||||||
| Regulations | Rules with the force of law | ||||||
| Rehabilitation Act | Federal legislation that authorizes the following:
| ||||||
| Reinstatement application | Formal, documented process in which an F or M student can appeal for a return from Cancelled or Terminated status to Active status | ||||||
| Request for redress | A system to request a solution for a nonimmigrant who consistently encounters difficulties at U.S. ports of entry | ||||||
| Responsible officer (RO) | Employee of an exchange visitor program sponsor who has primary responsibility for the following:
(the RO is the equivalent of the PDSO for F or M schools) | ||||||
| School | An SEVPcertified institute of learning whose officials must submit a Form I-17 to be SEVP-certified to enroll F and/or M students. | ||||||
| Secondary inspection | A more intense investigation that a nonimmigrant may encounter upon entry to the United States; this investigation usually takes place if a CBP officer cannot verify the nonimmigrant’s information or if the nonimmigrant does not have all the necessary paperwork at the time of entry into the United States | ||||||
| Secondary school | Generally speaking, grades seven through 12 | ||||||
| Section 508 | Part of the 1998 Rehabilitation Act that "requires that Federal agencies’ electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities" | ||||||
| Severe economic hardship | A financial condition making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for an F or M student to continue education in the United States | ||||||
| SEVIS Help Desk ticket | A formal request made to SEVP by a DSO, PDSO or nonimmigrant seeking help either in answering a question or in addressing a SEVIS-related problem | ||||||
| SEVIS ID number | The unique number that SEVIS assigns to a nonimmigrant and that appears on the Form I-20 for an F or M nonimmigrant or on the Form DS-2019 for a J nonimmigrant | ||||||
| SEVIS record | Collection of student information gathered by a DSO or RO from a nonimmigrant and input into SEVIS | ||||||
| SEVIS school code | The unique identification number assigned to a SEVP-certified school | ||||||
| SEVP certified | A school whose officials have submitted a Form I-17 to SEVP and that has official permission from SEVP to enroll F and M students | ||||||
| Social Security number (SSN) | A nine-digit number assigned by the Social Security Administration to U.S. citizens and to approved nonimmigrants and noncitizens eligible to work in the United States | ||||||
| Special student relief | Guidelines the DHS Secretary issues in response to a world event that negatively impacts a group of citizens in a country other than the United States (also called emergent circumstance). The Secretary issues these guidelines to nonimmigrants from that country but who are residing in the United States. | ||||||
| STEM | Science, technology, engineering and mathematics | ||||||
| STEM CIP codes | The designation given to CIP codes in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics | ||||||
| Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) | An Internet-based system (managed by SEVP) that does the following:
| ||||||
| Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) | Part of Homeland Security Investigations in ICE that administers the process by which F, M and J nonimmigrants enter, study and work in the United States | ||||||
| Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program | A "web-based service that helps federal, state and local benefit-issuing agencies, schools, and licensing agencies determine the immigration status of benefit applicants so only those entitled to benefits receive them" | ||||||
| Transfer-in school | A school to which an F or M student wants to transfer | ||||||
| Transfer-out school | A school from which an F or M student wants to transfer | ||||||
| U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) | U.S. government agency within DHS that oversees lawful immigration to the United States | ||||||
| U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) | U.S. government agency within DHS that investigates and enforces related elements of federal law | ||||||
| Unauthorized employment | Any paid work that a nonimmigrant takes without proper permission | ||||||
| Unauthorized withdrawal | For an F or M student to leave the United States without permission before the program end date | ||||||
| Unsubsidized per capita cost | The monetary value of a student’s education, as divided per student (how much a school or school system spends each year per student on that student’s education); this amount does not take into account any money received by the federal government to subsidize the cost of education. Speak with officials at the individual school system to find out the cost due. | ||||||
| Verification Information System (VIS) | A computerized system that provides immigration status information both to federal, state, and local government agencies when nonimmigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens apply for government benefits and to potential employers seeking employment eligibility verification to government agencies | ||||||
| Visa | An indication that a consular officer at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate reviewed your application and determined that you are eligible to entry the United States for a specific purpose
| ||||||
| Visa waiver country | One of 36 countries, according to DoS, whose citizens are not required to have a visa to enter the United States for the purpose of visiting but do need a visa to study: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom. | ||||||
| Visa-exempt | Citizens of certain countries described in 8 CFR 212.1(a) that do not need a visa to enter the United States and may apply at the port of entry for F, M or J nonimmigrant status
| ||||||
| Visa-exempt country | A country whose residents do not need a visa to enter the United States (i.e., Canada or Bermuda, Bahamas, British subjects residing in the Bahamas, Cayman, or Turks and Caicos Islands) | ||||||
| Vocational |
| ||||||
| 1099 employment | Working for someone as an individual contractor, not because of a formal employer/employee relationship | ||||||
| 24-month extension | Period of time that USCIS extends OPT beyond the original time limit |
