| Who
pays the SEVIS fee? |
| - |
New students with I-20s marked for "initial
attendance" that were issued on or after September
1, 2004 who are applying for an new F-1 visa from
outside the US. |
| - |
New
students with I-20s marked for "initial attendance"
that were issued on or after September 1, 2004 who
are applying for a change to F-1 status from another
status (B-2 for example). |
| - |
Current
F-1 students in the US filing for reinstatement
after being out of status more than 5 months, and
who are issued an I-20 issued for reinstatement
that is dated on or after September 1, 2004. |
| - |
Canadians
(who do not need an F-1 visa to enter the U.S.)
should take a copy of the SEVIS fee receipt to present
at the port of entry with the appropriate I-20.
It will not be possible to pay the fee at the port
of entry. |
|
Can someone else (friend or family member) pay
the fee for me? |
| - |
Yes.
But you should have a copy of the fee payment receipt
that proves that they paid the fee for you. |
|
Will continuing F-1 students in the US have to
pay? |
| - |
No,
unless the student falls out of status for more
than 5 months and applies for reinstatement after,
or is outside the U.S. for more than 5 months. |
| What
about my F-2 dependents? |
| - |
F-2
dependents do not have to pay the fee |
|
Do I have to pay if I stay in the U.S. but transfer
to another school or if I change levels (example:
ESL to undergraduate study)? |
| - |
No |
| Do
I have to pay the fee if I travel outside the US?
|
| - |
If
you travel outside the U.S. for more than a 5 month
period, then you will need to pay the fee. If you
travel outside for less than a 5 month period, you
do not need to pay the fee. If you are a continuing
student, you will not need to pay the fee, even
if you have to renew your visa stamp. |
| When
do I pay the SEVIS fee? |
| - |
The
fee should be paid at least 3 business days before
you apply for your visa, change of status or reinstatement
application. |
| Can
I pay the SEVIS fee at a university, consulate or
port of entry/airport? |
| - |
No.
At this time the SEVIS fee can only be paid by mail
or the Internet. |
| How
do I pay
the fee?
|
| - |
The
fee can be paid to the DHS by mail or online. You
must include the Form I-901 with the fee. The fee
can be paid by the student or by someone else (family
member or friend) inside or outside the US. |
| How
Do I Pay By Mail? |
| 1. |
Get a Form I-901 "Fee Remittance for Certain
F, J, and M Nonimmigrants."
- Download the form from http://www.FMJfee.com/
OR
- Ask for the form by phone at 1-800-870-3676 (inside
the US) |
| 2. |
Complete
the Form I-901. Be sure to write your name exactly
how it appears on your I-20 form. |
| 3. |
Prepare a check, international money order or foreign
draft (drawn on US banks only) in the amount of
$100 USD, made payable to "The Department of
Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement." |
| 4. |
Mail the completed I-901 and payment to the address
listed on Form I-901. |
| 5. |
A Form I-797 receipt confirmation notice should
be mailed within 3 days of processing the fee. Be
sure to make copies of this receipt notice, and
keep it with your other important immigration documents. |
| How
Do I Pay Online? |
| 1. |
Find the Form I-901 at http://www.FMJfee.com/ |
| 2. |
Complete
the form online and supply the necessary Visa, MasterCard
or American Express information. Be sure to write
your name exactly how it appears on your I-20 form. |
| 3. |
Print
a copy of the online receipt. |
| 4. |
Be
sure to make copies of your receipt, and keep it
with your other important immigration documents |
If you pay the SEVIS fee by Internet, you can print a
receipt directly from your computer at the same time.
This computer-generated receipt can be used to prove you
have paid the fee at an embassy, consular post, or port-of-entry.
If you mail the fee, then you must wait at least 3 business
days after DHS receives your payment before trying to
apply for your visa. DHS will mail you a paper receipt
(called an I-797) to be used as evidence that you paid
the fee, but there should also be an electronic record
of your fee payment in the US Consulate's database. If
there is an electronic record of fee payment in the database,
you will not need to show your paper receipt (Form I-797)
to apply for the visa or enter the US. However, due to
potential technical problems, it is strongly recommended
that you wait for a copy of the paper fee payment receipt
before making a visa application.
The paper receipt (Form I-797) is mailed to the address
you wrote on Form I-901. If you want to pay more, you
can ask DHS to express mail your receipt. Or you can wait
until the receipt is mailed to via regular postal service.
|
Will the DHS keep a record of my payment on file?
|
| - |
Fee
payments should be entered into your permanent immigration
(SEVIS) record but it is strongly recommended that
you keep a copy of your fee receipt (form I-797)
to use in the future. |
|
I applied to more than one school, and have more
than one I-20 form. What happens if I pay the SEVIS
fee for one school, and then I change my mind and
decide that I want to attend the other school? Can
I move my SEVIS fee to the new school? |
| - |
Yes.
But you should bring the I-20 form with the SEVIS
ID number that you used to pay the fee with you
to the U.S. consulate/embassy. For change of status
or reinstatement applications, please see next question.
|
|
What do I need to do to apply for an F-1 visa,
change of status or reinstatement? |
| - |
Get
a Form I-20 from the school that you want to attend. |
| - |
Pay
the SEVIS fee by mail or online. |
| - |
Make
a copy of the I-797 (mail) or computer receipt (online)
for your records. |
| - |
Submit
a copy of the I-797 or computer receipt with your
visa, change of status or reinstatement application
OR |
| - |
For
change of status or reinstatement applications,
if you previously paid the SEVIS fee while attending
a different school, you should submit a copy of
that school's I-20 form and a copy of the fee payment
receipt with your application. |
| What
if my F-1 visa application is denied? |
| - |
The
SEVIS fee will not be refunded, but if you apply
again for an F-1/J-1 visa within 12 months of a
visa denial you will not have to pay the fee again. |
For more information regarding the new SEVIS fee requirement
or other visa-related matters, contact:
UCSD
Extension
International Student Services
Tel: 858-534-6784
Fax: 858-534-5703
Email: ipinfo@ucsd.edu
|
