Tri-Valley Update: SEVP and SEVIS Communications

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has posted a brief notice, entitled Attention Former Tri-Valley University Students. This notice advises that the SEVIS records of former Tri-Valley (TVU) students were terminated as of January 18, 2011. ICE is advising students to call a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) response center number to be advised of their options. We again remind our readers that ICE’s role is enforcement, not benefits.

A related advisement addressed to all SEVIS users also states that SEVP cancelled or terminated all student records for TVU students on January 18, 2011. This advisement tells school officials to contact the SEVP Help Desk to “manage the student record” if a TVU student gains admission to their school. The school officials are instructed not to initiate new SEVIS records for these students. This notice also states that employment authorization for TVU students terminated on January 19, 2011.

These announcements leave many unanswered questions. We are seeking further clarifications and will inform our readers as these come to light.