TN 9 (04-10)

Foreign students (F and M) and exchange visitors (J) must report to their school or sponsor within a certain period of time after admission to the US. The school or sponsor then has an additional period of time during which they must update (e.g., activate) the student’s or visitor’s status in the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE), Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).

When a foreign student or exchange visitor is applying for an SSN, if

• The student or visitor has not reported to his or her school or sponsor or,

• The school has not updated SEVIS,

the SAVE initial verification (IV) response is “Refer Student/Exchange Visitor to their School/Program Sponsor”.

If you receive this IV response for an SSN application, you have the following two options.

A. Provide a written notice and delete the SSN application

Provide written notice (SSA-L676, Refusal to Process SSN Application) to the applicant explaining why you cannot process the application and delete the SSN application. On the notice

• include “We are unable to verify your ‘Active’ status in SEVIS. Please contact your school or program sponsor to update your current status.”

• under “Please contact us when,” check the remark, “Your alien status changes, or is renewed, so you can work in the U.S.”

• include the Department of Homeland Security fact sheet, “Information for Students and Exchange Visitors Pursuing Employment in the United States” with the letter. See RM 10211.305 for an exhibit of this fact sheet.

NOTE: If you chose to hold the SSN application and when you submit the new IV request the IV response is also “Refer Student/Exchange Visitor to their School/Program Sponsor”, follow the instructions here (provide notice and delete the application).

B. Continue pending the SSN application

Some FO managers may work with the schools and sponsors to get the SEVIS records updated without deleting the SSN application so they can later process the original application without another contact with the applicant and without completing another application.

If you choose to hold the pending SSN application,

• submit a new IV request 48 hours after

  • you receive information that the student is “activated” or “registered” in SAVE’s SEVIS or

  • the sponsor advises that the exchange visitor has been “validated” in SEVIS.

• If the IV response to the new IV request is also “Refer Student/Exchange Visitor to their School/Program Sponsor”, provide written notice and delete the application in accordance with A. above.

NOTE: You must wait 48 hours from the date you receive verbal or written indication SEVIS has been updated before requesting a new IV.

See also:

• RM 10214.110, How to submit an IV request

• RM 10215.115, providing written notice.

• RM 10211.235, Evidence of Immigration Status for the F1 and M1 Classes of Admission for an SSN Card

• RM 10211.340, General Evidence of Immigration Status and Employment Authorization for the J1 (Exchange Visitor) or J2 (Dependant of J1) classes of admission.