As a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has created the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS, to track nearly one million foreign students and scholars in the United States. Through SEVIS, approximately 7,500 schools, colleges and universities will send the federal government the names, addresses and departmental majors of foreign students, as well as information on any disciplinary action against them.

"There have been significant changes. In the past, all we needed was a name and date of birth (to send to the federal government). Now we have to create a whole record in SEVIS for every (family member)," Director of International Students and Scholars at Brandeis David C. Elwell said.

SEVIS became operational Jan. 1, 2003. By law, all institutions enrolling or hosting F-visa (academic visa) holders, J-visa (exchange visitors visa) holders and M-visa (vocational or other nonacademic visas) holders must be certified by the U.S. Department of State and the INS to use SEVIS. Brandeis does not host students with M-visas, but was certified Jan. 15 to handle students with F-visas and Jan. 28 for students with J-visas. According to Elwell, there are 707 international students at the University on a Brandeis visa.

SEVIS has modified the process of entry for students coming into the United States. After obtaining a visa stamp from the U.S. embassy in their home countries, students present the SEVIS form to an INS officer at the airport gate upon landing. The data is entered into an online database, notifying universities that their foreign students have entered the United States. "On the SEVIS system, we get an alert saying when and where a student entered the United States before they have actually reported to campus," Elwell said.

Once on campus, via SEVIS, universities confirm students' arrivals. Confirmation must be completed within 30 days of registration for students or of the start of employment for scholars.

Also, students may enter the United States no sooner than 30 days before the beginning date of their program of study.

"The system has changed dramatically," Elwell said. "For the F-1 visa form, there used to be four pages -- the top was a school copy, then an instruction page and then two bottom student copies. The immigration officer at the airport processed the document, stamped one copy showing entry and status, kept the school copy, and stamped the student copy to hand back to (the student)."

Before SEVIS, the school copy was mailed to the U.S. Immigration Student Processing Center, where data was entered into a database. Universities waited three to nine months before receiving the school copy from the INS.

"There was a lot of confusion," Elwell said. "If you got back the school copy in six months, that is pretty quick. We knew (foreign) students were here legally, but the copy from INS got here six months later. What is nice about SEVIS is that it's electronic -- everything is entered at the point-of-entry; there is no more school copy."

Instead of creating documents and mailing them to students, specific data must be entered into SEVIS before any form is sent. After the required information is entered, SEVIS sends the visa form in portable document format for printout.

But Elwell said he has experienced delays with SEVIS. "It took somebody in my office five hours to process one document because the system was accepting too much data at once," he said. "People on the West Coast wait until after it is 5:00 p.m. in the East, because the speed doubles at that point".

"We have been unable to printout a SEVIS document for three days," Elwell added. "We can put information in the data fields and wait to push the submit button, but what if somebody needs something right away? We may not be able to do that because we don't have control of the system."

Students used to have 60 days after graduation to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), a one-year work visa for F-Visa holders. Applications must now be received by the date of graduation. "If a student graduated May 18 and comes to me May 19 and wants to apply for an OPT, the system will not let us process the request," Elwell said. "(The student) will be losing out on the work permission."

No Brandeis international students contacted for this article said they were unhappy at the new system. A student from Kuwait -- a country on the U.S. National Security Entry-Exit Registration System's (NSEERS) additional scrutiny list for foreign students in the United States -- initially agreed to be interviewed by the Justice but ultimately refused to comment.

According to The New York Times, however, at the University of Colorado, immigration agents detained six Iranian students during registration. The New York Times reported Yashar Zendehdal, a detainee, fell below the minimum course load for a full-time student; having switched majors and dropped a course. The law allows this with university approval, but Larry Bell, director of International Students and Scholars at Colorado said local immigration officials appeared unfamiliar with the law and threatened to deport Zendahdal. After being detained by immigrant officers for 40 hours, Zendehdal said he urged his family and friends to study elsewhere.

SEVIS has led to positive changes as well. Since 1983, each term universities submitted a report of enrolled foreign students to the INS. However, the INS was unable to organize the overload of data. Now, SEVIS organizes everything electronically.

In October, universities will submit their reports within 30 days of final registration. For Brandeis, the clock starts after the two-week shopping period.

Elwell said Sevis provides another positive change: Different government agencies will have access to the system. "One problem is that Consulate Officers (say they have) mile long lines out of the embassy doors. The assumption is that 97 percent of people applying for visas have no legitimate reason for getting a visa because people have fraudulent documents," Elwell said. "The benefit for our students is that when a person goes to the U.S. embassy, it is not dependent on whether the document is fraudulent, but (embassy officers) can look on SEVIS and see that Brandeis issued the form."

Other changes stipulate if international students withdraws or are withdrawn from a university, or for any reason terminate full-time study, they must depart the United States within 15 days. At Brandeis, the student meets with the International Students and Scholars Office to coordinate with the registrar and receive advice for visa options.

In addition to Sevis, the U.S. government has announced additional procedures for students and scholars of some countries, including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan and Kuwait.

According to the updated NSEERS, nonimmigrants from the listed countries must register their presence with the INS. They must also make sure their registration is updated. Additionally, if students want to leave the United States at any point, they need to tell the INS where they are going. Failure to comply with NSEERS may result in deportation, arrest or detention.

"I hear comments from students and I think they have been very supportive," Elwell said. "And now more than ever it is important to communicate. It's hard because things can't been done at the last minute. If students need something done sooner, they should let me know.