The Coordinated Interagency Partnership Regulating International Students, also knows as CIPRIS, was demonstrated at the recent annual NAFSA meeting for international educators. CIPRIS is designed to modernize and streamline the current process for bringing in international students and exchange scholars to the United States and for maintaining information on F-1 and J-1 visa holders. The program is a cooperative effort of the INS, State Department, US Information Agency and the US Department of Education and is currently being tested at 21 schools around the United States. The program will go nationwide within the next two years.

CIPRIS is actually designed to meet a mandate created by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 ("IIRAIRA"). When the system is implemented, students will have to pay a fee to financially support the system. The fee will be limited to $100 in the first year. The phase in of the fee will be announced in a proposed rule the INS is expected to announce this summer.

The following types of events will be reported using the CIPRIS system:

• registration for study or program

• program extensions

• USIA Category, Subject/Field and Site

• Activity changes (J-1 only)

• DSO recommendations for economic hardship employment (F-1 only)

• Curricular Practical Training (F-1 only)

• DSO Recommendations for Optional Practical Training

• Transfers in and Transfers out

• Change of major

• Completion/termination of program

Various information will also need to submitted on students including the

• student’s name and date of birth

• financial support and sources

• dependent information

• program of study/research school and sponsor

• place of activity

• current US address

• current academic status, and

• full time/part time status

The program will not be software-oriented. Rather, it will have a web site front-end that will ensure that end users are not bogged down with installation and maintenance problems. The INS promises to use the latest encryption technology to ensure that sensitive information is not accessible to unauthorized people.

To get ready for the implementation of CIPRIS at all institutions, the INS is recommending international student offices take the following initial steps:

• start by forming a working group with members from your office, the registrar and admissions offices and the information technology office on your campus

• then begin reviewing your current data and business processes related to international students and exchange visitors and think about ways to facilitate information exchange