2006 Minnesota Statutes

CHAPTER 5A. INTERNATIONAL STUDENT EXCHANGE ORGANIZATIONS

5A.01 DEFINITIONS.
    Subdivision 1. Scope. The definitions in this section apply to this chapter.
    Subd. 2. International student exchange visitor placement organization; organization.
"International student exchange visitor placement organization" or "organization" means a person,
partnership, corporation, or other entity that regularly arranges the placement of international
student exchange visitors for the purpose, in whole or in part, of allowing the student an
opportunity to attend school in the United States.
    Subd. 3. International student exchange visitor; student. "International student exchange
visitor" or "student" means a person 18 years of age or under, or up to age 21 if enrolled or to be
enrolled in high school in this state, placed by an international student exchange visitor placement
organization, who enters the United States with a nonimmigrant visa.
History: 1993 c 238 s 1

5A.02 ORGANIZATION REGISTRATION.
(a) All international student exchange visitor placement organizations that place students
in schools in the state shall register with the secretary of state.
(b) Information provided to the secretary of state under this chapter is a public record.
(c) Registration must not be considered or be represented as an endorsement of the
organization by the secretary of state or the state of Minnesota.
History: 1993 c 238 s 2

5A.03 ORGANIZATION APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION.
(a) An application for registration as an international student exchange visitor placement
organization must be submitted in the form prescribed by the secretary of state. The application
must include:
(1) evidence that the organization meets the standards established by the secretary of state by
rule;
(2) the name, address, and telephone number of the organization, its chief executive officer,
and the person within the organization who has primary responsibility for supervising placements
within the state;
(3) the organization's unified business identification number, if any;
(4) the organization's United States Information Agency number, if any;
(5) evidence of Council on Standards for International Educational Travel listing, if any;
(6) whether the organization is exempt from federal income tax; and
(7) a list of the organization's placements in Minnesota for the previous academic year
including the number of students placed, their home countries, the school districts in which they
were placed, and the length of their placements.
(b) The application must be signed by the chief executive officer of the organization and the
person within the organization who has primary responsibility for supervising placements within
Minnesota. If the secretary of state determines that the application is complete, the secretary of
state shall file the application and the applicant is registered.
(c) Organizations that have registered shall inform the secretary of state of any changes in
the information required under paragraph (a), clause (1), within 30 days of the change. There is no
fee to amend a registration.
(d) Registration under this chapter is valid for one year. The registration may be renewed
annually. The fee to renew a registration is $50 per year.
(e) Organizations registering for the first time in Minnesota must pay an initial registration
fee of $150.
(f) Fees collected by the secretary of state under this section must be deposited in the
state treasury and credited to the general fund and are added to the appropriation from which
registration costs are paid.
History: 1993 c 238 s 3; 1997 c 137 s 5

5A.04 RULES.
(a) The secretary of state shall adopt by rule standards for international student exchange
visitor placement organizations. In adopting the rules, the secretary of state may adopt standards
established by the United States Information Agency and the Council on Standards for
International Educational Travel. The secretary of state may incorporate standards established by
the United States Information Agency or the Council on Standards for International Educational
Travel by reference and may accept an organization's designation by the United States Information
Agency or acceptance for listing by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel
as evidence of compliance with the standards.
(b) The secretary of state must require that an international student exchange visitor
placement organization's application form for participation as a host family include a signed
document complying with section 299C.62, subdivision 2, that gives the organization permission
to conduct a background check on members of the host family. Sections 299C.60 to 299C.64
apply to the background check, except that for purposes of this section the term "background
check crime" includes any felony.
History: 1993 c 238 s 4; 1997 c 137 s 6

5A.05 INFORMATIONAL DOCUMENT.
International student exchange organizations that have agreed to provide services to place
students in the state shall provide an informational document in English, to each student, host
family, and superintendent of the school district in which the student is being placed. The
document must be provided before placement and must include the following:
(1) an explanation of the services to be performed by the organization for the student, host
family, and school district;
(2) a summary of this chapter prepared by the secretary of state; and
(3) telephone numbers that the student, host family, and school district may call for
assistance. The telephone numbers shall include, at a minimum, an in-state telephone number for
the organization, and the telephone numbers of the organization's national headquarters, if any,
the United States Information Agency, and the Office of the Secretary of State.
History: 1993 c 238 s 5

5A.06 COMPLAINTS.
The secretary of state may, upon receipt of a complaint regarding an international student
exchange organization, report the matter to the organization involved, the United States
Information Agency, or the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel, as the
secretary of state considers appropriate.
History: 1993 c 238 s 6

5A.07 VIOLATIONS; MISDEMEANOR.
A person who fails to register as required by this chapter or who willfully and knowingly
gives false or incorrect information to the secretary of state in filing statements required by this
chapter, whether or not the statement or report is verified, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
History: 1993 c 238 s 7