Effective application cycle management is essential for ISSS administrators, particularly for workflows involving SEVIS processing for J-1 scholars. This guide outlines the importance of application cycles and provides detailed instructions for setting them up. It also explains how to manage process maps to ensure critical questionnaires are properly enabled for J-1 scholars. This comprehensive approach aids administrators in ensuring compliance and accuracy throughout the lifecycle of J-1 scholars.
Topics Covered
- Access and Permissions
- Background Information
- Creating an Application Cycle
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Access and Permissions
To manage application cycles, an ISSS administrator requires the following permissions.
- Process admin: application cycles (view)
- Process admin: application cycles (add)
- Process admin: application cycles (edit)
Background Information
The ISSS Scholar module integrates with ISSS Classic and SEVIS Admin to process the Add Exchange Visitor action in SEVIS. When an ISSS administrator clicks the "Create EV" button in a scholar's record, they are directed to the Add Exchange Visitor activity in SEVIS Admin.
The Add Exchange Visitor activity relies on two critical components:
-
The Academic Objective (J) program, which is selected by default.
-
A designated application cycle, which must be selected manually by the ISSS administrator.
To ensure an application cycle is available for selection, it must first be created in ISSS Classic under Process > App Cycles.
Creating an Application Cycle
1. Navigate to Process > App Cycles in ISSS Classic.
2. On the Available Cycles: Available Terms page, click the Add Term Record button.
3. Select the term and year in which scholars will be created.
Default Terms Used for ISSS Scholar:
- Fall
- Spring
- Summer
Note: Institutions may use a "Request" term as an alternative to standard terms. This choice is based on institutional preference.
4. Enter the deadline date. This will be the last date a scholar can be created for the indicated term/year.
5. Enter the decision date. To set up rolling admissions (recommended), choose a date in the past.
6. Enable the Active Cycle? setting.
7. Click the Next button.
8. Click the Questionnaires tab.
9. Ensure the following questionnaires are enabled to capture data required for SEVIS processing:
- Academic Objective Information (J)
- Dependent Information (J)
- Financial Information (J)
- I-901 SEVIS Fee Payment (J)
- Site of Activity Information
- Dependent Update (J)
- Status Update (J)
Note: Questionnaire names may vary by institution. The listed names reflect standard naming conventions.
10. Click the Update button to save changes.
FAQs
Q. Why are rolling admissions recommended for application cycles related to scholar processing?
A. Rolling admissions prevent the automated delivery of application-related notifications, such as decision letters, which are not typically relevant for scholar processing. By setting a decision date in the past, administrators avoid triggering these automated communications.