Department of Homeland Security September 26, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule adjusts the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) school certification petition fees and the application fees for nonimmigrants seeking to become academic (F visa) or vocational (M visa) students, or exchange visitors (J visa). The rule sets the following fees: $1,700 for a school certification petition and $655 for each site visit for certification; and $200 for each F or M student. This rule also sets a $180 fee for most J exchange visitors; however, the $35 fee for each J exchange visitor seeking admission as an au pair, camp counselor, or summer work/travel program participant will remain the same. All fee payments addressed in this final rule must be made in the amounts established by this rule beginning October 27, 2008. The rule also establishes procedures for the oversight and recertification of schools attended by F and/or M students, establishes procedures for schools to submit recertification petitions, adds a provision allowing a school to voluntarily withdraw from its certification, and clarifies procedures for school operation with regard to F and M students during recertification and following a denial of recertification or a withdrawal of certification. Finally, the rule removes obsolete provisions used prior to implementation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).

This notice informs the public that the Secretary, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has designated the DHS Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP) as the Sector-Specific Agency (SSA) for the Critical Manufacturing Sector under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP). IP will now move forward with the organization and coordination processes identified in the NIPP for establishing a new critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) sector. These initial steps will include establishing Government and Sector Coordinating Councils, which will begin the process of full integration into the CIKR Sector Partnership, implementation of the NIPP Risk Management Framework and development of the Critical Manufacturing Sector Specific Plan. This designation also includes language changes to the NIPP identifying the new sector, which will take affect immediately and remain in effect until the NIPP is rewritten and published in 2009. These changes will include adding the Critical Manufacturing sector and its SSA to those sections of the NIPP where sectors and their SSAs are listed, referenced, or described, and amending the last sentence of the definition of ``Sector'' in the Glossary to read, ``The NIPP addresses the 17 CIKR sectors enumerated in HSPD-7 and any additional sectors created by the Secretary of Homeland Security pursuant to HSPD-7.''