International Student Services WVU Tech

FOR NEWLY ADMITTED STUDENTS TO WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW FEDERAL SEVIS FEE

• 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 item 3 on your Tech 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 NOTrequired 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

• 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.

Procedure for Paying the SEVIS Fee

a. Obtain form I-20 or DS-2019 from West Virginia University Institute of Technology
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 or DS-2019 from Tech 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.

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.

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.

Showing 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.

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

International Student Services WVU Tech.