11 schools OK’d for foreign students

The Department of Commerce disclosed yesterday that only 11 educational institutions are allowed to accept foreign enrollees this school year.

Maggie Camacho, a staffer at the Commerce Department, said these 11 schools have received certifications to accept foreign enrollees but four of them were approved with conditions. She declined to identify these schools.

“The total number of educational institutions with current certification from Commerce is 11, including the four approvals with conditions,” she said, adding that the agency is now accepting renewal applications for school year 2011-2012.

There used to be 24 schools in the CNMI allowed to enroll foreign students.

Camacho explained that the Commerce certification is authorization to accept foreign students at the state level. This certification is required by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s U.S. Department of Homeland Security for purposes of issuing entry visas to foreign students wanting to enroll outside their countries.

She revealed that educational institutions failing to meet the requirements will jeopardize their authority to accept foreign students in their school.

“The Department of Commerce will accordingly report such denial or revocation for further action on the part of the federal government…I cannot tell the number who will fail to renew at this point in time,” Camacho told Saipan Tribune yesterday.

Camacho said the certificate is good for one school year. If a school does not renew with Commerce or loses its certification, no foreign student can enroll at that particular school. These schools do not have to close because the certification only addresses foreign students.

“In order for any institution to be approved by SEVP, the certification from Commerce is one of the required documents to be submitted. When SEVP approves a school, a foreign student can apply for an I-20 visa to attend that particular school. The school monitors all students’ movements and reports to SEVP, daily if the need arises,” she said.

Saipan Tribune learned that if a school is not SEVIS-approved, such institution cannot accept or enroll any foreign student at all. Schools found in violation may face consequences, Camacho added.