(a) Issuance of Forms DS-2019. Sponsors must:

(1) Grant access only to Responsible Officers and Alternate Responsible Officers and ensure that they have access to and use SEVIS to update required information;

(2) Ensure that Responsible Officers and Alternate Responsible Officers input into SEVIS accurate, current, and updated information in accordance with these regulations; and

(3) Issue Forms DS-2019 only for the following authorized purposes:

(i) To facilitate the initial entry of the exchange visitor and accompanying spouse and dependents, if any, into the United States;

(ii) To extend the duration of participation of an exchange visitor, when permitted by the regulations and authorized by the Department of State;

(iii) To facilitate program transfers, when permitted by the regulations and/or authorized in writing by the Department of State;

(iv) To replace lost, stolen, or damaged Forms DS-2019;

(v) To facilitate the re-entry into the United States of an exchange visitor and accompanying spouse and dependents, if any, who travel outside the United States during the exchange visitor's program;

(vi) To facilitate a change of category, when requested in SEVIS and authorized by the Department of State;

(vii) To update information when significant changes take place in regard to the exchange visitor's program (e.g., a substantial change in funding, a change in the primary site of activity or a change in actual and current U.S. address);

(viii) To facilitate the correction of a minor or technical infraction; or

(ix) To facilitate a “reinstatement” or a “reinstatement update SEVIS status” when permitted by the Department of State.

(b) Verification.

(1) Prior to issuing Forms DS-2019, sponsors must verify that each prospective exchange visitor:

(i) Is eligible and qualified for, and accepted into, the program in which he or she will participate;

(ii) Possesses adequate financial resources to participate in and complete his or her exchange visitor program; and

(iii) Possesses adequate financial resources to support an accompanying spouse and dependents, if any.

(2) Sponsors must ensure that:

(i) Only Responsible Officers or Alternate Responsible Officers who are physically present in the United States or in a U.S. territory may print and sign Forms DS-2019; and

(ii) Only the Responsible Officer or the Alternate Responsible Officer, whose name is printed on the Form DS-2019, is permitted to sign the document. The Form DS-2019 must be signed in blue ink to denote that it is the original document.

(c) Distribution of Forms DS-2019. Sponsors must ensure that completed Forms DS-2019 are distributed directly to the exchange visitor and accompanying spouse and dependents, if any, or to an individual designated by the exchange visitor only via the sponsor's employees, officers, or third parties in the administration of its exchange visitor program.

(d) Allotment requests.

(1) Annual Form DS-2019 allotment. Sponsors must submit an electronic request via SEVIS to the Department of State for an annual allotment of Forms DS-2019 based on the annual reporting cycle (e.g., academic, calendar or fiscal year) stated in their letter of designation or redesignation. Sponsors should allow up to four weeks for the processing of allotment requests. The Department of State has the sole discretion to determine the number of Forms DS-2019 to be issued to a sponsor.

(2) Expansion of Program. A request for program expansion must include information such as, but not limited to, the source of program growth, staff increases, confirmation of adequately trained employees, noted programmatic successes, current financial information, additional overseas affiliates, additional third party entities, explanations of how the sponsor will accommodate the anticipated program growth, and any other information requested by the Department. The Department of State will take into consideration the current size of a sponsor's program and the projected expansion of the program in the coming 12 months and may consult with the Responsible Officer and/or Alternate Responsible Officer prior to determining the number of Forms DS-2019 to issue to a sponsor.

(e) Safeguards and controls.

(1) Responsible Officers and Alternate Responsible Officers must secure their SEVIS logon Identification Numbers (IDs) and passwords at all times (i.e., not share IDs and passwords with any other person or permit access to and use of SEVIS by any other person).

(2) Sponsors, their employees, officers, agents, or other third parties acting on behalf of the sponsor, may not forward to any unauthorized party (via facsimile or other electronic means) copies or Portable Document Formats (PDFs) of signed or unsigned Forms DS-2019. However, sponsors must forward such copies and/or PDFs to the Department of State or the Department of Homeland Security upon request.

(3) Sponsors must use the reprint function in SEVIS in the event the exchange visitor's Form DS-2019 has been lost or stolen.

(4) Sponsors must destroy any damaged and/or unusable Form DS-2019 on the sponsor's premises after making a record of such forms (e.g., forms with errors or forms damaged by a printer).

[79 FR 60307, Oct. 6, 2014]