 SEVIS
The Student and Exchange
Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is a web-based system for maintaining
information on international students and exchange visitors in the United
States. SEVIS is administered by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program
(SEVP), a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),
the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS).
SEVIS is designed to keep our nation
safe while facilitating the entry and exit process for foreign students
in the United States and for students seeking to study in the United
States.
SEVIS
Fee
The
SEVIS fee is US$ 100. This fee is separate from and in addition
to the visa application fee. The SEVIS fee must be paid by the
Internet or by mail. It cannot be paid at a U.S. embassy or consulate and it cannot be paid at port of
entry.
This SEVIS fee is required of all foreign nationals who
come to the United States for the purpose of pursuing a full course
of study in institutions such as colleges, universities, and language
training programs. It is payable one time for each single educational
program in which an F-1, F-3 student or J1 participates, extending
from the time the student is granted F-1, F-3 or J1 status to the
time the student falls out of status, changes status, or departs
the U.S. for an extended period of time.
This fee is new and goes into effect September 1, 2004. SEVIS fee payments will be used by the United
States Department of Homeland Security to fund the Student and Exchange Visitor
Program. This program makes it possible for international students and
exchange visitors to attend schools in the United States. The fee also
funds the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a computer system
employed to track international students and exchange visitors during their
stays in the United States.
How
to Pay?
The SEVIS fee is paid by completing Form I-901 and submitting
payment. This can be done either by mail or over the internet.
 By
mail :
In
order to pay the fee by mail you will need to Download
Form I-901 from the internet. You will use your I-20 or DS-2019
to complete all required fields. The only forms of payment that will
be accepted are checks and money orders. All checks and money orders
must be made in U.S. dollars and drawn on a bank located in the United
States (click here for further information). All checks and money orders
must be made payable to the "I-901 Student/Exchange
Visitor Processing Fee." Write
the name of the student or exchange visitor and the SEVIS identification
number on the check. Fees must be submitted in the exact amount.
Mail
the Form I-901 and payment to:
I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor
Processing Fee
P.O. Box 970020
St. Louis, MO 63197-0020
or courier the Form I-901 and payment to: I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor
Processing Fee
1005 Convention Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63101
By
Internet :
The
SEVIS fee can be paid over the internet using a credit card. To begin,
you will need to navigate to www.FMJfee.com. Read the instructions and if you are ready
to pay the fee scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Yes.” You
will need your I-20 or DS-2019 to complete all of the fields. Fill
in the required information and follow the prompts at the bottom of
each screen. You will need to have your credit card information ready
to submit as well. You will be given confirmation that your payment
has been accepted. You should print this page as a record of your payment
until the mailed receipt arrives.
Non-refundable
Once paid, the SEVIS fee is non-refundable,
unless paid by mistake, even if your visa is denied or, subsequent
to issuance of the visa, you choose not to come to the United States.
If you applied for an F-1 or F-3 visa and paid the SEVIS
fee within the last year but were denied a visa, you do not have to pay
the SEVIS fee again as long as you re-apply for the same kind of program
with 12 months of the initial denial.
For
more information
SEVIS
Home page
E-mail
to UIW International Office
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