International Student Exchange Placement Organizations

To help protect student visitors, California requires anyone who regularly arranges the placement of foreign exchange students in California elementary, junior high and high schools to register with the Attorney General's Office prior to making the placement. (Government Code sections §12620-12630)

The registration requirement applies to any person, partnership, corporation or entity that within any five-year period arranges placement of foreign exchange students in kindergarten through grade 12.

To see if a student placement organization is registered in California, check the Registry List maintained by the Attorney General's Registry of International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations (ISEVPO). The list is provided to all primary and secondary schools in California. Schools may require proof of registration as a condition to registering exchange visitors.

Registration under this program is valid for one year. Renewals must be submitted by January 15 of each calendar year in which the organization does business in California. Organizations that fail to renew their registration by the January 15 deadline will be removed from the registry and may not make student placements unless a new registration is processed. Registration forms are available for downloading and printing.

PLEASE NOTE: Registering with the Attorney General’s Registry of International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations does not satisfy the independent registration and reporting requirements of the Supervision of Trustees and Fundraisers for Charitable Purposes Act (Government Code sections 12580-12599.8). Under this Act, a nonprofit public benefit corporation and any other person or entity who holds assets for charitable purposes has an independent obligation to register and file annual reports with the Attorney General’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers. For more information, visit the Attorney General’s Charities web page.

A person placing a student must provide detailed documents to the foreign students, host families and the host school. Placement organizations also are required to appoint a representative within California who will be responsible for supervising placements in the state.