Request For Volunteers To Participate in a Foreign Student/ Exchange Visitor Program Pilot

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

[INS No. 1800-96]

Request For Volunteers To Participate in a Foreign Student/

Exchange Visitor Program Pilot

AGENCY: Immigration and Naturalization Service, Justice.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), consistent

with its statutory authority to regulate foreign students and exchange

visitors under sections 101(a)(15)(F), (J) and (M) of the Immigration

and Nationality Act as amended (the Act), and in consultation with the

United States Information Agency (USIA), the Department of State (DOS),

and the Department of Education (DoE), is initiating a pilot program

(hereinafter referred to as ``the pilot'') for the 1997/1998 academic

year, commencing with the 1997 fall semester, to redesign and improve

the collection and reporting of information regarding foreign students

and exchange visitors as required under Subtitle D, section 641, of the

Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996

(Pub. L. 104-208). The INS and USIA are seeking out schools and

exchange visitor programs located in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina,

and South Carolina willing to volunteer as participants in the

operation of the pilot. The states of Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina,

and North Carolina have been identified based on their location within

the eastern time zone; their being subject to uniform jurisdiction

under the Atlanta District Office, which also has immigration

jurisdiction for the Port-of-Entry at Hartsfield International airport;

and Atlanta's accessibility to INS headquarters project managers and

contractors via daily direct non-stop air flights to and from the

Washington, DC., area. The types of schools and exchange visitor

programs solicited include universities, colleges, vocational training

schools, flight schools, and post secondary English as Second Language

schools. Since the INS is limiting pilot participation to approximately

20 schools and/or exchange visitor programs, it is possible that not

all eligible applicants will be selected. The INS will conduct an on-

site visit prior to selecting pilot participants.

DATES: Requests to participate in the pilot must be submitted in

writing on or before February 26, 1997. The limited period for

submission of requests to participate in the pilot is necessitated by

the statutory requirement that INS establish a national foreign student

and exchange visitor information collection program by January 1, 1998.

The INS will notify all schools, institutions, and exchange visitor

programs of the status of their request on or before March 31, 1997.

[[Page 2686]]

ADDRESSES: Please submit written requests in triplicate to: Brian

Collins, Foreign Students and Schools Pilot Program; INS Support, 13600

EDS Drive, M/S A5S-A52; Herndon, Virginia 20171. To ensure proper

handling, please reference INS No. 1800-96 on your correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information regarding nonimmigrant ``F'' or ``M'' portions of the

pilot contact: Maurice Berez, Adjudications Officer, Adjudications and

Nationality Division, Immigration and Naturalization Service, 425 I

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20536, telephone (202) 514-5014. For

information regarding the nonimmigrant ``J'' Exchange Visitor program

portion of the pilot, contact: Diane Culkin, Program Designation

Officer, or Tamara Martin, Program Designation Officer, Exchange

Visitor Program Services, United States Information Agency, 301 Fourth

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone (202) 401-9810.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background and Statutory Authority

In June 1995, the INS established a task force to conduct a

comprehensive review and analysis of the current process for the

collection of information regarding foreign students and exchange

visitors in the United States. As a result of the review, the task

force proposed substantial changes for the collection of information on

foreign students and exchange visitors. These changes were subsequently

adopted by Congress. See Subtitle D, section 641, of Pub. L. 104-208.

Section 641 requires the INS to collect information on an ongoing basis

from schools and exchange programs relating to nonimmigrant foreign

students and exchange visitors during the course of their stay in the

United States, using electronic reporting technology to the fullest

extent practicable. Accordingly, the pilot will test automated data

systems and telecommunication technology through: (1) The issuance of

machine-readable cards to foreign students and exchange visitors at the

participating pilot schools and exchange visitor programs, and (2)

computer-based reporting from schools to the INS on matters relating to

the immigration status of foreign students and exchange visitors.

Prior to August 30, 1997, the INS will amend existing regulations

to cover the use of any forms and processes tested under the pilot and

found suitable for use on a nationwide basis. Prior to promulgation of

such regulations, participants in the pilot shall comply with all

existing regulations governing their respective activities.

Primary Pilot Objectives

The primary objectives of the pilot are:

To improve service by reducing paperwork and expediting

processing required for students and exchange visitors for the duration

of their nonimmigrant status in the United States;

To collect accurate, timely, and reliable information for

use by Federal agencies charged with monitoring foreign students and

exchange visitors;

To improve communication and cooperation between the

Federal Government, educational institutions, and exchange visitor

programs;

To calculate and determine the fees provided for under

section 641(e) of Pub. L. 104-208. The INS will not impose such fees

during the pilot;

To work in concert with educational institutions and

exchange visitor programs to improve the effectiveness of current

foreign student and exchange visitor programs by testing the following:

--Prototype Forms I-20 and IAP-66 which incorporate bar-code

technology;

--Prototype machine-readable student/exchange visitor cards to be used

in place of Forms I-20 and IAP-66; and

--Electronic reporting to the INS from pilot participants via the

Internet and other electronic media.

Application Requirements and Criteria

Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements set forth in

section I below. In addition, applicants must provide the information

requested in Section II below.

I. Eligibility Requirements

To participate in the pilot, educational institutions and exchange

visitor programs must:

A. Be physically located in at least one of the following states:

Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina;

B. Have continuously participated in a Federally approved foreign

student or exchange visitor program for the previous 5 years;

C. Have complied with the requirements set forth in 8 CFR 314.3 and

22 CFR part 514.

II. Information Requirements

Educational institutions or exchange visitor programs desiring to

participate in the pilot must provide, in writing, the following

information:

A. A letter of request to participate in the pilot signed by an

official who has the authority to enter into a participation agreement

with the INS on behalf of the school, institution, or exchange visitor

program;

B. The school, institution, or exchange visitor program's legal

name; its INS approval code and/or Exchange Visitor Program number; the

original date of approval by INS or designation by USIA and, if

applicable, the date of re-approval or re-designation;

C. The mailing address of the school, institution, or exchange

visitor program (if a P.O. Box, specify a street address location,

telephone number, and facsimile number);

D. Total size of student body at the school, institution, or

exchange visitor program;

E. A current job description of the primary and alternate

official(s) responsible for foreign students and/or exchange visitors,

together with the business telephone/facsimile numbers and Internet (e-

mail) address for such official(s). These officials must be employed on

a full-time basis in their position;

F. The total number of: (1) F-1 and M-1 foreign students and J-1

exchange visitors at the institution for each of the previous 3 years;

(2) individuals within each separate foreign student or exchange

visitor category for such period, (3) dependents of such individuals in

each separate category (F-2, M-2, and J-2) for such period;

G. A description of: (1) The foreign student/exchange visitor

record-keeping system currently in use; (2) the registration record-

keeping system currently in use for the general student body, and (3)

the communication links between such systems. The description should

cover, among other things, hardware, software, operating systems and

network architecture;

H. If applicable, a description of Electronic Data Interchange

(EDI) use at the school, institution, or program; and

I. A sequential outline of the current procedures used by the

school, institution, or exchange visitor program for administering

foreign students and exchange visitors. This outline should cover the

process from the point of receiving the foreign student's or exchange

visitor's initial application for admission through registration,

orientation, and completion or termination of program.

Notification to Applicants

The INS, in consultation with the USIA, will prepare a Memorandum

of Understanding (``MOU''), to be signed by the INS and selected

prospective participants, setting forth the terms and conditions of

participation in the pilot.

[[Page 2687]]

Participation in the pilot is contingent on the INS conducting an on-

site visit and the signing of the MOU.

Duration of Pilot

Although the INS anticipates that the duration of the pilot will be

one academic year, it may extend the pilot for one or more academic

terms, as deemed necessary to comply with the statute. The INS, if it

deems appropriate, may terminate the pilot at any time. The INS may

also, in its discretion, terminate participation in the pilot of an

individual school, institution, or exchange visitor program at any

time.

OMB Reporting Burden

The public reporting burden to prepare the requested application to

participate in the pilot is estimated to be 60 hours, including time

for reviewing instructions, identifying and describing existing data

systems and computer capabilities, and completing and reviewing the

collection of information required to apply. Please send comments

regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection

of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the

Immigration and Naturalization Service, 425 I Street, NW., HQPDI, Room

5307, Washington, DC 20536. These requirements have been approved by

the Office of Management and Budget under the provisions of the

Paperwork Reduction Act, and are recorded as OMB Control Number 1115-

0204, with an expiration date of June 30, 1997.

Dated: January 8, 1997.

Doris Meissner,

Commissioner, Immigration and Naturalization Service.

[FR Doc. 97-1205 Filed 1-16-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4410-10-M