“One session that generated a lot of interest among US delegates at the recent Nafsa conference in Houston, Texas, was a programme focussed on current hot topic: accreditation. Representatives from the US Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and the Department of State’s Consular Affairs Visa Office did little to assuage rising concern over new accreditation requirements for university-run intensive English language programmes (IEPs) – a subject we have covered previously. SEVP recently decreed that university-run programmes would need to show evidence of accreditation – namely a statement or letter from an accrediting body recognised by the US Department of Education. Providers noted there was a lack of understanding, on the part of SEVP, about university accreditation and the Accreditation Act that was implemented in 2010. The act stipulated that all IEPs be accredited, however university-operated programmes had been exempt owing to the fact that they fell under the accrediting remit of its host university. Others felt confusion could have been avoided if the department had consulted directly with university administrators. Regrettably, it seems many left the session with more questions than they started with.”