General Information

SEVIS Fee In Effect After September 1, 2004

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced implementation of the SEVIS (Student Exchange Visitor Information System) fee.  Effective immediately, each student or exchange scholar issued an initial Form I-20 or DS-2019 on or after September 1, 2004, is responsible for paying this fee before applying for a visa.  Persons sponsored by the United States Government are exempt from payment of the SEVIS fee.  Most continuing students and exchange visitors will also not be required to pay the SEVIS fee. 

The SEVIS fee has been set at $100.  Certain short-term exchange visitors will pay a reduced fee of $35.  All applicants required to pay the SEVIS fee will also have to complete Form I-901.  This form is available on-line at www.fmjfee.com.

Currently, the SEVIS fee can be paid by credit card on-line or by international money order or check drawn on a financial institution in the United States if payable in United States currency. China has been selected to participate in a pilot program for overseas, off-site fee collection. Preliminary plans are to make the fee payable at a local Chinese bank. This option is NOT yet available. Please check our website regularly for further updates on this payment option.

The SEVIS I-901 fee is mandated by Congress to support the automated system that keeps track of students and exchange visitors to ensure that they maintain their lawful status in the United States.  For more information regarding the SEVIS fee, please refer to the SEVIS website at http://www.ice.gov/sevis