Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12620. Section 12620.
This article shall be known and may be cited as the Uniform Supervision of International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations Act of 1994.
ARTICLE 8.2. International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations [12620. - 12630.]
Cal. Government Code - GOV 8.2.
in effectCal. Government Code - GOV § 12621. Section 12621.
For the purposes of this article, the following terms shall have the following meaning unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
(a)
“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 providing the students with the opportunity to attend a school that maintains kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, in the United States.
(b)
“International student exchange visitor” or “student” means any
person 18 years of age or under, or up to 21 years of age if enrolled or to be enrolled in high school in this state, who enters the United States on a nonimmigrant visa and who is placed by an international student exchange visitor placement organization in an elementary or secondary school or other educational program in this state.
(c)
“Nonimmigrant visa” means a visa category assigned by the United States Department of Homeland Security pursuant to Section 1101 of Title 8 of the United States Code to nonresident students whose primary purpose for visiting the United States is to study at the elementary or secondary school level or participate in any other educational program.
(d)
“USIA” means the United States Information Agency designated to administer the Mutual
Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. Sec. 2451; 22 C.F.R. 514.1 et seq.).
(e)
“Registry” means the Registry of International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations established pursuant to Section 12622.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12622. Section 12622.
The Attorney General shall establish and maintain a register of organizations subject to this article. The registry shall be known as the Registry of International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12623. Section 12623.
(a)
Each organization shall, prior to arranging the placement of any international student exchange visitor in any school in California, register with the Attorney General’s Registry of International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations on the registration form prescribed by the Attorney General. Renewals of registration shall be filed with the registry by January 15 of each calendar year in which the organization does business and shall be effective for one year.
(b)
The fee for registration and renewal shall be calculated as follows:
(1)
All organizations designated by the USIA shall remit the following:
(A)
A registration fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150) shall be required for the initial registration of an organization and shall be payable by certified or cashier’s check to the Attorney General’s Registry of International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations at the time of registration.
(B)
An annual renewal fee of fifty dollars ($50) shall be required for renewal of registration of an organization payable as specified in subparagraph (A).
(C)
The Attorney General may seek legislative approval to adjust the registration or renewal fee. Upon petition by the Attorney General, the
Legislature may adjust the fees in the annual Budget Act. In no event shall the fees exceed the costs necessary to administer this article.
(2)
All organizations not designated by the USIA shall remit the following:
(A)
A registration fee shall be required for the initial registration of an organization and shall be payable by certified or cashier’s check to the Attorney General’s Registry of International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations at the time of registration. The Attorney General shall establish the registration fee described in this subparagraph.
(B)
An annual renewal fee shall be required for renewal of registration of an organization payable as specified in paragraph (1). The Attorney General shall establish the renewal fee described in this subparagraph.
(C)
In no event shall the fees enumerated in this paragraph exceed the costs necessary to administer this article.
(c)
The Attorney General may grant an extension of time to file annual registration.
(d)
Failure to register is a violation of this chapter.
(e)
Registration pursuant to this article shall not be considered or be represented as an endorsement of the organization by the Attorney General or this state.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12624. Section 12624.
The Registry of International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury. All fees collected by the Attorney General pursuant to this article shall be deposited into that fund. All money in the Registry of International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations Fund shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be expended by the Attorney General for the exclusive purpose of administering this article.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12625. Section 12625.
Subject to reasonable rules and regulations adopted by the Attorney General, the registry and copies of instruments and the documents filed with the Attorney General pursuant to this article shall be open to public inspection.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12626. Section 12626.
(a)
An application for registration pursuant to this article shall be submitted in the manner and on the forms prescribed by the Attorney General. The application shall include all of the following:
(1)
Evidence that the organization meets the standards established by the Attorney General pursuant to Section 12627.
(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)
If the organization has been designated by the USIA pursuant to the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. Sec. 2451); 22 C.F.R. 514.1 et seq.), the designation number provided to the organizations pursuant to that act.
(4)
Whether the organization is exempt from federal income tax.
(5)
A list of the organization’s placements in California for the previous academic year, including the number of students placed, their home countries, the school district in which they were placed, and the length of their placements.
(6)
Any other information required by the Attorney General to carry out the regulations adopted
pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 12627.
(b)
The application shall be signed by the chief executive officer of the organization and the person within the organization who has primary responsibility for supervising placements of international student exchange visitors within California. If the Attorney General determines that the application is complete, the Attorney General shall file the application and the applicant shall then be registered.
(c)
Each organization registered pursuant to this article shall inform the Attorney General of any changes in the information required by subdivision (a) within 30 days of the change.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12627. Section 12627.
The Attorney General shall adopt regulations pursuant to the portion of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2) pertaining to rulemaking, as follows:
(a)
Regulations on the standards and requirements that organizations must meet that are consistent with the regulations adopted by the USIA pursuant to the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. Sec. 2451) as set forth in Section 514.1 and following of Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations as those regulations existed on March 19, 1993. If the federal regulations adopted by the USIA at a minimum require the same standards and requirements of this article,
the Attorney General shall permit organizations designated by the USIA pursuant to those regulations to, in lieu of documentation that would otherwise be required by this article and the regulations adopted pursuant to this subdivision, provide evidence of designation by the USIA.
(b)
Any regulations that are necessary for the administration of this article.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12628. Section 12628.
Each organization shall provide an informational document, in English, to each student, host family, and designated school official in which the student is being placed. The informational document shall be provided before placement of the student in any host family or school district and shall include the following:
(a)
An explanation of services to be performed by the organization for the student, host family, and the school district in which the student will be enrolled.
(b)
A summary of the requirements of this chapter and any regulations adopted thereto.
(c)
Telephone numbers that the student, host family, and school district may call for assistance. The telephone numbers shall include, at a minimum, a telephone number in this state for the organization and the telephone numbers of the organization’s national headquarters, if any, the USIA, and the Attorney General.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12629. Section 12629.
(a)
If the Attorney General has probable cause to believe that the organization is not complying with this article, the Attorney General may conduct whatever investigation is necessary, and may seek a subpoena to obtain from public records, court officers, taxing authorities, trustees, officers and employees of an organization, and other sources, whatever information, copies of instruments, documents, reports, and records that are needed for the establishment and maintenance of the register.
(b)
The Attorney General may, upon receipt of a complaint regarding an international student exchange organization, report the matter to the organization involved, the USIA, or the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel, as the Attorney General deems appropriate.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12630. Section 12630.
Any person or organization who violates any provision of this article or who willfully and knowingly provides false or incorrect information to the Attorney General in filing documents required by this article, whether or not the documents are verified, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026