II. OSS Seeks to Review and Improve SEVIS

OMEGA SECURE SOLUTIONS SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT CONDUCTS A FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT OF SEVIS THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITOR INFORMATION SYSTEM

What is SEVIS?

The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is used by the federal government to track and control foreign academic, language and vocational students; foreign visitors participating in authorized scientific, educational and cultural exchanges; and their dependent family members in the United States.

SEVIS is the automation backbone of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), an office in the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS / ICE).

Schools and exchange programs wishing to host students and exchange visitors must be approved and registered in SEVIS, just as the students, visitors and dependents must.

SEVIS was initiated in late 2002. It became fully operational in February of 2003 and its use was mandatory by August of that year. It is a product of the post-9/11 global terrorism environment. It is one of the early success stories of the new department. SEVIS received a Pioneer Award by the E-Gov Institute in 2004 in recognition of improved operations and streamlined processes.

In its short existence SEVIS has managed, through software updates and system revisions, to adapt to changing needs and increasing demands. System upgrades and patches have primarily responded to concerns of SEVIS front-end users – the academic and exchange visitor community. In early November of 2006, the SEVP promulgated Version 5.4 of the system. Despite the advances, users in these communities still face limitations in searching, sorting, production of management reports, and export of data.

Despite SEVIS’s origins as an immigration benefits tracking tool, it has evolved into a system used on a constant basis by the enforcement and intelligence communities. Many enforcement agents, many within the SEVP staff, and even some academic users believe that its limitations are problematic from a national security standpoint.

Such concerns have led SEVP managers to contemplate whether it is time to produce a ‘ SEVIS Next Generation,’ keeping the present system on maintenance mode while a new one is developed. Because the managers are close to the system and its processes, they requested an independent assessment to help inform the decision-making process. This report is the result of that assessment.

Feasibility Study Purpose and OSS Methodology

The purpose of the assessment was to conduct a feasibility study to -

to determine if there is a real need in the user community for [system] changes, with a particular (but not exclusive) focus on the needs of the enforcement users;

to ascertain whether the current version of SEVIS can be scaled or patched to meet new needs and support other agencies or whether it has reached its plateau of useful life; and, thereafter,

to develop a findings-and-recommendations report for presentation to the Department of Homeland Security’s Investment Review Board (IRB).

The assessment was conducted using five methods --

In-person and telephonic interviews of SEVIS stakeholders, including program personnel, law enforcement agents, educators, contractors, and others. Those interviewed ranged from senior managers to rank-and-file employees. Where appropriate, a letter of introduction from the SEVP director preceded the interview.

Analysis of program and system documentation, including technical manuals, policy statements, and correspondence and written dialogues between SEVP and others.

Site visits and observation of the system and supporting standalones while in use by personnel both at the front (input) and the back (out-take) sides.

Examination of the work products of others who have studied and reported upon SEVP and SEVIS, such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (DHS / OIG).

Review of relevant documentation, including Congressional testimony and various reports, on related topics such as the interplay between national security and foreign students and exchange visitors. Some of this documentation is quoted directly in the report (for instance, the 1996 testimony of then-Director Louis J. Freeh, Federal Bureau of Investigation); and some is not (such as the Staff Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (“the 9/11 Commission”), entitled, 9/11 and Terrorist Travel).

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