USCIS Reminds F-1 students and School Officials to Update SEVIS

On August 18, 2020, USCIS reminded F-1 nonimmigrant students and their designated school officials (DSOs) that they must update the employer information in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), including unemployment data, because “exceeding unemployment limits can result in a loss of status.” USCIS said that SEVIS “will count each day without employer information toward the total number of unemployment days allowed.” Students must notify DSOs within 10 days of changes in personal or employment information, and DSOs must update SEVIS with the information within 21 days.

USCIS also said that in addition to a possible loss of status, failure to timely update employer information in SEVIS and thus exceeding unemployment limits could result in USCIS’s initiating revocation proceedings for the F-1 nonimmigrant’s employment authorization document or negatively affect the F-1 nonimmigrant’s future benefit requests filed with USCIS.