Payment of SEVIS Fee

Miller Building, Room 16 • P.O. Box 2000 • Cortland, NY 13045-0900

Phone: (607) 753-2209 • Fax: (607) 753-5989 • E-mail: studyabroad@cortland.edu

James M. Clark Center for International Education

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal SEVIS Fee took effect on September 1,

2004. The fee of $200.00 for F-1 students or $180 for J-1 Visiting Scholars is generally a one-time

fee (see exceptions, below) and is required of those who are applying for an F-1, J-1 or M-1 visa

based on an I-20 issued for "initial attendance" or a DS-2019 issued to "begin a new program."

Who needs to pay the new Federal SEVIS fee

Proof of fee payment must be presented at the visa interview.

• 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 do

NOT

need to pay the SEVIS fee if i

tem 3 on your Cortland 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 two 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 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 from SUNY Cortland or DS-2019 from SUNY Buffalo

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 from SUNY Cortland or

DS-2019 from SUNY Buffalo 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

d. Pay the $100 SEVIS fee according to one of the methods described below.

Note: to complete form I-901, you must enter the Cortland School

Code of BUF(214F)00274000 if you have been sent an I-20, OR the

Buffalo Program Number of P104839 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

United States

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.

howing 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

Rev. 2/11