On December 14, 2011, President Obama signed the Accreditation of English Language Training Programs Act which requires ESL programs seeking to enroll international students to receive accreditation by a regional or national agency recognized by the Department of Education. The law came into effect 180 days later, on June 12, 2011.
International students enrolling on an ESL school or program who wish to obtain an F-1 visa or status in the U.S. should be careful of potential ESL schools’ accreditation status. They should make sure the schools are accredited before they apply for a change of status or a visa.
The following important dates should be noted:
December 14, 2011: Non-accredited, SEVP-certified English language training programs must submit an application for accreditation to a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education by this date.
December14, 2013: If by this date, the non-accredited, SEVP-certified English language training program has not obtained or was denied accreditation, the applicant may not be granted a non-immigrant visa through this sponsoring program.
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