Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Fee

1. Find the Form I-901 online.
2. Complete the form online and supply the necessary Visa, MasterCard, or American Express credit card information. Be sure to write your name exactly how it appears on your I-20 form.
3. Print a copy of the online receipt.
4. Make an extra copy of your receipt and keep it with your other important immigration documents.

 

If you pay the SEVIS fee online, you can print a receipt directly from your computer at the same time. This computer-printed receipt can be used to prove to any U.S. official that you have paid the fee. If you lose your computer-printed receipt and are relying on the electronic record of payment, then you must wait three business days before applying for a visa.

This payment option is available only in countries where Western Union offers its Quick Pay service.

 

1. Find the Form I-901 online and print it out.
2. Complete the form. Be sure to write your name exactly how it appears on your I-20 form.
3. At the SEVIS I-901 Fee website, select "Western Union Quick Pay" and read the instructions for this payment option. Print these instructions and the sample of the completed Western Union form (on the same website page; follow link under Western Union Quick Pay International F and M Visa Instructions (PDF).
4. Bring the printed instructions and the sample of the completed Western Union form to the Western Union agent in order to correctly process your payment.
5. Western Union will collect the SEVIS fee in your local currency and will electronically transmit the payment and your personal data to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).

 

The properly completed Western Union receipt serves as immediate proof-of-payment for a visa interview at a U.S. Consulate and for admission at a U.S. port of entry.

We recommend that you use this option only if you are unable to either pay online or locally via Western Union Quick Pay Service. Persons from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Gambia, and Nigeria must pay by mail.

 

1. Find the Form I-901 online and print it out.
2. Complete the form. Be sure to write your name exactly how it appears on your I-20 form.
3. Prepare a check, international money order, or foreign draft drawn on a U.S. bank, foreign subsidiaries of U.S. banks, or foreign banks that have an arrangement with a U.S. bank. Make payable to The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
4. Send the completed I-901 form and payment by regular air mail or by express courier.

 

If you mail the fee, then you must wait at least three (3) business days after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) receives your payment before trying to apply for your visa. This could be tricky trying to judge when DHS has received your mailed I-901 and payment. You should eventually receive Form I-797 receipt confirmation notice. Be sure to make a copy of this receipt notice and keep it with your other important immigration documents. In addition to a paper receipt, there should also be an electronic record of your fee payment in the U.S. Consulate's database. If there is an electronic record of fee payment in the database, you will not need to show your paper receipt (I-797) to apply for the visa. However, we recommend that you wait for a copy of the paper fee payment receipt before making a visa application. The paper receipt is mailed to the address you wrote on the Form I-901. You may also ask DHS to send the receipt by express courier for a fee.