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The
U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal SEVIS Fee took effect
Who Has to Pay the SEVIS Fee You must pay the SEVIS fee if you are seeking an initial F-1
or J-1 visa from an embassy or consulate abroad for initial attendance or
initial participation in an exchange visitor program. You must pay the SEVIS fee if you have previously been
enrolled at a U.S. school, but you are no longer enrolled and you have been
outside the United States for more than five months, even if you have an
unexpired F-1 visa in your passport. You must pay the SEVIS Fee if you are a Canadian citizen, and
are therefore exempt from the U.S. visa requirement, before you can enter
the United States. You must pay the SEVIS fee if you are already in the United
States prior to submitting a change of non-immigrant status application to
F-1 or J-1. You must pay the fee if you are an F-1 or J-1 student or scholar applying for reinstatement of your lawful status in the United States. You do NOT need to pay
the SEVIS fee if item 3 on your CCNY I-20 reads
"transfer pending from <name of school>",
even if you will be applying for a new F-1 visa. Applicants for F-2 or J-2 dependent visas are NOT required to
pay the SEVIS fee. SEVIS Fee Rules The SEVIS
fee must be processed at least three business days before the visa interview,
unless you have a printed receipt from an Internet payment. The SEVIS
fee cannot be paid at the embassy or consulate, or at the U.S.
Border. A visa will
not be issued unless the visa officer can verify that the SEVIS fee payment has
been made. However, you may schedule your visa interview prior to paying the
SEVIS fee. The SEVIS
fee is not refundable. If your visa application is denied, and you decide to
re-apply for the same type of visa at a later date, you will not be asked to
make a second SEVIS fee payment as long as your visa application is made within
12 months of the initial denial. How to Pay the SEVIS Fee Currently, there are three payment methods: ·
payment in
U.S. dollars by credit card over the Internet, OR ·
payment in
U.S. dollars by check, money order or bank draft, drawn on a U.S. bank, and mailed to an address in the United States. ·
Payment by
Western Union Quick Pay – payment can be made in local currency.
In order to pay using this option, go to (please note that there is an underscore _ between the wu and
instr in the preceding link), and follow the instructions. It is
important that you print out an appropriate sample payment form and
provide it to the Western Union agent. Be sure to request a Blue
Form from the agent.
To find the location of the nearest Western Union office go to http://www.payment-solutions.com/agent.asp
Payment of the SEVIS fee may be made
by you or by any other individual, either in the United States or
abroad, including family or friends. However, anyone paying the fee on
your behalf will need to have a copy of your I-20 or DS-2019, or a completed
copy of Form I-901. Procedure for Paying the SEVIS Fee a. Obtain form I-20 or DS-2019 from The City College of New
York. b. Access form I-901 on the internet at http://www.fmjfee.com
OR use the form I-901 included with your I-20 or DS-2019 c. Complete form I-901, answering all questions (you must
have an I-20 or DS-2019 from The City College of New York in order to
complete form I-901). Be sure that you enter
your personal information exactly as it appears on the I- 20 or DS-2019 form
d. Pay the $100 SEVIS fee according to one of the methods
described below. Note: to complete form I-901, you
must enter the CCNY School Code of NYC(214F)00812005 if you have been
sent an I-20, OR the CCNY Program Number of P100009 if you have been
sent a DS-2019. You must also enter your SEVIS ID number, which is
printed at the top right of the I-20 or DS-2019, above the bar code. It
starts with the letter "N." Paying on the Internet Once you
have received your I-20 or DS-2019, you can make the fee payment by submitting
form I-901 on-line using a credit card. The web address is http://www.fmjfee.com MasterCard,
Visa, or American Express debit or credit cards are accepted. It does not
matter if the card was issued in the United States or overseas.
Follow the on-line
instructions, include the required credit card information, and print out
the payment screen to verify your payment. The printed receipt
should be presented
at the visa interview or at the U.S. port of entry as proof of payment. Thus, when paying the fee on the Internet, it is essential that your printer be ready before starting the payment process.
Do not exit the receipt page until you have successfully printed the receipt.
You will not be able to return to the receipt page. Paying by Mail: To pay by
mail, you must download and print form I-901 from http://www.fmjfee.com
or use the paper copy provided with your I-20 or DS-2019, fill out the
form and mail it with your payment to the address below. Your payment
must be in U.S. dollars by check, money order or bank draft, drawn on a U.S.
bank. Your check, bank draft
or money order should be made payable to: "I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing
Fee." Also, be
sure to print your name and SEVIS ID number in the lower left-hand corner of
the check, money order or bank draft. The need for
a check, bank draft or money order in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank does
not mean that only a U.S. bank can issue the document. Many foreign banks are
able to issue checks or money orders drawn on a U.S. bank, because they are
chartered in the United States, or because they are foreign subsidiaries
of a U.S. bank, or because they have arrangements with a U.S. bank to issue a
check, money order, or foreign draft that is drawn on a U.S. bank. Mail the
payment and form I-901 to:
I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Visa Processing Fee
P.O. Box 970020
St. Louis, MO 63197-0020 USA To
send by courier, use the following address:
I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee
1005 Convention Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63101
USA Phone Number: 1-314-418-8833 (United
States Country Code 011) Once the
form and fee are processed, a paper receipt will be mailed to you. Return
courier service is available for an additional $30. Payment by
mail is not the recommended process for fee payment from abroad, as it can take
as long as four weeks from the day you mail in the fee to the day that you
receive the required receipt in the mail if you are applying from outside the
United States, unless you pay for courier service. Showing Proof of SEVIS Fee Payment at the Visa
Interview and/or the U.S. Port of Entry You must be
able to prove that the fee has been paid when you appear for your visa
interview, and when you enter the United States. This is done by
presenting a printed
receipt, either from the Internet if you made an on-line payment, or
a mailed
receipt if you paid by mail. Visa
officers and U.S. port-of entry inspectors should be able to verify
SEVIS fee payment
electronically three business days after payment is processed, but in case of
problems, having a printed receipt is the best evidence of fee payment. If
you lose or did not receive a receipt for fee payment, the U.S. government
does retain an electronic record that the fee has been paid. A visa will
not be issued unless verification of the SEVIS fee payment can be made. For detailed
information on the SEVIS fee payment process, and for a list of frequently
asked questions, visit: http://www.ice.gov/graphics/sevis/i901/index.htm This
information was developed by the Office of International Student and
Scholar Services, Binghamton University, NY and is used with their
permission. Last
reviewed/updated 11/02/04
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