Paying the I-901 SEVIS Fee
Students from Canada and Bermuda
If Admitted to More than One School (Multiple Form I-20s or DS-2019s)
Steps to Pay the SEVIS Fee
In order to register for a visa interview and activate your SEVIS record, it is required that all students pay the SEVIS fee and complete the I-901 form. The SEVIS fee is currently $350 USD for F-1 visa applicants. All J-1 visa applicants are required to pay $220 USD. In most countries, you can pay the SEVIS fee two ways: (1) online by credit card or (2) mailed by check or money order. Some countries may require students to pay by check or money order, but instructions are provided if this is the case. You will be able to print a receipt electronically if you use payment option 1. You will receive a receipt by return mail if you use payment option 2. In order to pay the fee and complete the I-901 form, you will need the following:
- Information from your Form I-20 or DS-2019 in order to complete the I-901, including the SEVIS ID number (N00XXXXXXXX).
- 91ֿ’s School Code, which is CLE214F00387000 for F-1 students (I-20 recipients) and P-1-02089 for J-1 students (DS-2019 recipients).
Option 1: Online Payment by Credit Card
For electronic submission of Form I-901 and payment of the SEVIS fee using a credit card, go to . Follow the on-line instructions. Print out the payment screen to verify your payment. Take the payment verification printout with you to your visa interview. The fee must be paid at least three business days prior to the scheduled date of your interview in order for the payment information to show up on the SEVIS system. We strongly recommend that you use this option if possible.
Option 2: Mail Payment by Check or Money Order
When mailing payment, make the check or money order payable to “I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee.” It must be made in U.S. dollars and drawn on a bank located in the United States. There are two options when mailing a payment:
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Internet-generated coupon. Students can go to the , enter basic information, print out a coupon, and then mail a check or money order with the coupon to a lock-box address in Missouri (below).
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Paper option. Students can download or otherwise obtain Form I-901, fill it in, and mail it, with a check or money order, to the specified address in Missouri (below).
Once the information and fee are processed, SEVIS is updated with the fee payment information and a receipt notice is issued via postal mail. The mailing addresses for mail payment are:
P.O. Box Address:
I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee
P.O. Box 970020
St. Louis, MO 63197-0020
Street Address for Courier/Express Delivery:
I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee
1005 Convention Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63101
DHS will accept fee payment from a third party individual or institution (other than the student), either in the United States or abroad, using either option #1 or option #2 above.
Students from Canada or Bermuda
Students from Canada and Bermuda are exempt from typical visa requirements. Instead, those students should provide SEVIS fee payment verification along with Form I-20 or DS-2019 to a Customs and Border Patrol Officer at the port of entry when applying for entry into the United States as an F-1 or J-1 student.
Although students from these two countries are not required to sit for a visa interview at a U.S. consulate, it is expected that the student have the same documentation at the border that would have been required for the interview. It is also expected that the student is able to answer similar questions that are asked in the visa interview.
Visa Denial
If your visa is denied, you may reapply for the visa within a 12-month period, without having to pay the SEVIS fee again.
Dependents
If you have obtained an I-20 or DS-2019 for a spouse or children, they do not have to pay a SEVIS fee in order to apply for an F-2 or J-2 visa.
If Admitted to More than One School (Multiple Form I-20s or DS-2019s)
If you have been accepted to more than one institution and paid the fee using the SEVIS ID number of another institution but you wish to attend 91ֿ, you will not have to pay the fee again. You will want to go back to , click on Check I-901 Status, enter the information for the I-20 or DS-2019 for which you paid the I-901 already, and follow the steps to transfer the fee when it appears. Keep the of I-20s of all of the schools for your records, but only show the 91ֿ I-20 or DS-2019 at the consulate and Port of Entry. You should contact the other universities you do not wish to attend and have them cancel your SEVIS record after you have been given a visa for the KSU I-20 or DS-2019.
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