Fiscal Year 2009 promises to be an exciting year for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), and for the schools and students SEVP supports. SEVP will be taking on new initiatives as well as refining its current programs.
 
One new initiative is the SEVP Response Center (SRC). The SRC will answer calls from schools, students and the general public. It will assist callers with general questions pertaining to SEVP. Three highly trained staff members will be available to answer calls Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). The SRC will provide more efficient and robust customer service and provide schools with a more direct means of communication with SEVP. The SRC staff members will be able to handle many frequently asked questions concerning current regulations and procedures. As always, SEVIS. Source, the SEVIS Help Desk and the SEVIS Toolbox will continue to be available for related inquiries. The SRC will begin answering calls on January 26, 2009.
 
In keeping with the tradition of excellent customer service, SEVP will continue to develop new regulations to aid schools and students in achieving their goals. SEVP is in the process of drafting three major regulatory updates to be published in 2009.
 The first, a significant rewrite of 8 CFR 214.2, 8 CFR 214.3, and 8 CFR 214.4, will incorporate and refine policies and procedures that have evolved since the last recertification update and since the inception of SEVP. The rewrite also removes obsolete language and incorporates transitional language to support that transition to SEVIS II. 
 
The second rule addresses flight schools that are currently certified by both SEVP and the Department of State (DoS). This rule gives schools the ability to offer extended flight education programs for non-immigrants. In June 2008, DoS chose to eliminate its designation of eight flight training programs in June 2010, following an internal review which concluded that the programs no longer met DoS public diplomacy criteria, a core requirement for exchange visitor programs. Through the new rule, SEVP will help ensure that the government’s reorganization efforts do not have a negative impact on the flight schools or their students.
 
The third rule is a refinement of F-1 optional practical training (OPT) regulations. The intent of this rule is to refine certain policies and procedures that were introduced by the 2008 OPT rule and address other issues that were not covered in the 2008 rule. The public comments received in response to the 2008 rule will be addressed and incorporated into the new rule.
 
SEVP remains committed to providing excellent and robust customer service as noted by the addition of the SRC as well as updating its current regulations, policies and procedures. We will continue to listen to our stakeholders and do everything we can to help them achieve their goals.
 
Excellence in customer service is paramount to SEVP‘s success.