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Immigration and Visa Information

A. SEVIS

  1. What is SEVIS?
  2. What happens at the port of entry in the United States?

B. SEVIS Fee Requirements

  1. What is the SEVIS Fee?
  2. Who pays the fee?
  3. Who does not pay the fee?
  4. When must the fee be paid?
  5. How much is the fee?
  6. SEVIS I-901 fee frequently asked questions
  7. Sample form I-901

C. Student Visas

  1. How to apply for a student visa?

What is SEVIS?

The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is a web-based system for maintaining information on international students and exchange visitors in the United States. SEVIS is administered by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
SEVIS is designed to keep our nation safe while facilitating the entry and exit process for foreign students in the United States and for students seeking to study in the United States.
SEVIS enables schools and program sponsors to transmit electronic information and event notifications via the Internet to the BCIS and the Department of State throughout a student or exchange visitor's stay in the United States. SEVIS allows printing of the appropriate forms and also provides reminders, alerts, and basic reporting capabilities.
We are currently using the new SEVIS Form I-20, which has a barcode on the actual paper form of the I-20, which allows for effective tracking of international students.

What happens at the port of entry in the United States?

All students should make arrangements to arrive in the United States no later than the date specified in item 5 on their SEVIS Form I-20 form.
At the port of entry, a United States immigration officer will ask you to present your passport, your SEVIS Form I-20, your acceptance letter from Gallaudet, and proof of your financial support. The immigration officer should stamp with F-1 D/S on your I-20 form and return it to you.
Once your I-20 form has been taken care of, the officer will issue you a Form I-94 (see Example 4.1, Arrival/Departure Card), which will validate your entry and will note the length of stay you are permitted to stay in the United States. Please keep your I-94 card with your immigration documents. DO NOT lose this card.

What is the SEVIS Fee?

Effective September 1, 2004, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires the collection of a one-time fee of $100 from certain international students and visiting scholars. The fee is required to cover operational costs of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Each student or exchange visitor who is issued an initial Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 on or after September 1, 2004 is responsible for paying this fee.

Who pays the fee?

F-1 and J-1 visa applicants with I-20 or DS-2019 forms issued on or after September 1, 2004 are required to pay a SEVIS fee before applying for the visa.
  • New Applicants who require a visa to enter the United States must pay the SEVIS fee before going to the U.S. embassy or consulate for their visa interview.
  • New Applicants who are citizens of Canada, Bermuda, Bahamas and residents of certain other islands wishing to apply for F-1 or J-1 status at a Port of Entry into the United States must pay and process the SEVIS fee before appearing at the Port of Entry.
  • Current Students in the United States who apply for student or exchange visitor status must pay the fee prior to filing their change of status application.
  • F-1 students who wish to change status to J-1 must pay the SEVIS fee before filing for change of status.
  • Applicants who are reapplying for student status (F-1) or exchange visitor status (J-1) after a denial of that status must pay the fee.
  • Students who have been out of status for more than five months must pay the fee before filing for reinstatement.
  • Students who did not maintain status or completed a previous program and need a new initial Form I-20 from a school must pay the fee.

Who does not pay the fee?

  • Continuing students who are in status and have not completed their program of study.
  • Continuing students who are in status and are transferring or changing program levels.
  • Students who have been out of status for less than five months.
  • Students who are requesting a program extension.
  • Students who are renewing an F-1/J-1 visa.
  • Continuing students who have been out of the United States for more than five months and maintained their status prior to leaving the United States and have been participating in authorized overseas study.
  • Spouses and dependent children who have an F-2 or J-2 visa.
  • Students who are applying for employment authorization of any type.

When must the fee be paid?

The SEVIS fee must be paid prior to visa application to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the U.S. Proof of payment must be presented at the time the applicant applies for the visa. It cannot be paid at the Embassy or at a university. The fee must be processed at least three business days prior to the date of the visa interview. The SEVIS fee is non-refundable. The fee must be paid to ensure that the payment can be deposited and recorded in SEVIS prior to the scheduled visa interview. The interviewing consular officer will confirm that the fee has been paid by accessing SEVIS.
To allow for adequate processing time the fee must be paid:
  • At least three business days prior to the visa interview date for electronic submissions.
  • At least three business days before the scheduled visa interview for mail submissions to allow for delivery at the DHS address listed on the Form I-901. This time frame allows the fee payment to be deposited and recorded in SEVIS.

How much is the fee?

For students (F-1) $100
For spouses and dependent children (F-2, or J-2) of students or exchange visitors None
For exchange visitors (J-1) unless participating in: $100
Federally sponsored exchange visitor program (program codes start with G-1, G-2, or G-3) None
Summer work/travel program $35
Au pair program $35
Camp counselor program $35
Two Payment Options:
To Pay Online
  1. Complete a Form I-901, "Fee Remittance for Certain F, J, and M non-immigrants" from the internet. The online Form 1-901 is available at: http://www.FMJfee.com
  2. Make a payment of the SEVIS fee using a credit card.
    • Visa;
    • MasterCard; or
    • American Express.
    Be sure to write your name exactly how it appears on your I-20/DS-2019 Form.
  3. Print a copy of the online or computer receipt for your records.
    Be sure to make copies of your receipt, and keep it with your other important immigration documents. If you pay the SEVIS fee using the internet, you can print a receipt directly from your computer at the same time. This computer-generated receipt can be used to prove at an embassy, consular post, or port-of-entry that you have paid the fee.
To Pay By Mail
  1. Complete a Form I-901, "Fee Remittance for Certain F, J, and M Nonimmigrants" from the internet.
    Be sure to write your name exactly how it appears on your I-20/DS-2019 Form.
  2. Pay in US currency to "The Department of Homeland Security", using
    • personal or certified check;
    • international money order;
    • foreign draft (drawn on US banks only) in the amount of US$100.
  3. Mail the completed Form I-901:
      I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee
      P.O. Box 90020
      St. Louis, MO 63197-0020
      or
    Courier the completed Form I-901:
      I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee
      1005 Convention Plaza
      St. Louis, MO 63101
  4. A Form I-797 receipt confirmation notice should be mailed to you within 3 days of receiving the fee. Be sure to make copies of this receipt notice and keep it with your other important immigration documents.
If you mail the fee, then you must wait at least 3 business days after DHS receives your payment before trying to apply for your visa. DHS will mail you a paper receipt (called an I-797) to be used as evidence that you paid the fee, but 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 (Form I-797) to apply for the visa or enter the U.S. However, due to potential technical problems, it is strongly recommended that you wait for a copy of the paper receipt before making a visa application.
The paper receipt (Form I-797) is mailed to the address you wrote on Form I-901. If you want to pay for express mail service, you can ask DHS to express mail your receipt. Otherwise, your receipt will be mailed to you by airmail.

SEVIS I-901 fee frequently asked questions

www.ice.gov/graphics/sevis/i901/faq.htm

Sample form I-901


How to apply for a student visa?

You will need to go to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate nearest to where you live. Please take with you the following:
  • Your letter of admission from Gallaudet University
  • Your passport
  • SEVIS Form I-20
  • SEVIS Receipt
  • Financial Support papers - (You may use the same financial documents you used for your Gallaudet University Certificate of Finances form.)
  • One recent passport picture of yourself. The size of the passport picture should be 37mm x 37mm and showing your full face, without any head covering, and against a light background.
  • Cash equivalent of about $100 U.S. dollars.
At the embassy, you will be asked to fill out a Form OF-156. You will need to submit this form with the documents to the Consular officer. If there aren't any problems, the embassy or consulate will process your paperwork and issue you a student visa. Your visa may be either a single or multiple entry visa. If you receive a multiple entry visa, you may use it to re-enter the United States as often as needed until the visa expires, as long your Form I-20 is signed and validated.
Canadian students: A Canadian citizen does not need a visa for entering the United States as a student. At the border-crossing point, you will have to present your Canadian birth certificate, the SEVIS Form I-20, your SEVIS Receipt, your admission letter from Gallaudet University, and financial support documents to the U.S. Immigration Officer. Canadian students are urged to obtain a Canadian passport to facilitate entry into and exit from the United States.
Note well that if you are a landed immigrant, a refugee, or have asylum status, you must follow the "HOW TO APPLY FOR A STUDENT VISA" procedures explained above.
If you are already in the United States and are transferring to Gallaudet, please submit evidence of your full-time enrollment status for the preceding semester/quarter at your previous school, along with your new SEVIS Form I-20 to Mona Blanchette-McCubbin, International Services Specialist/Advisor, before classes begin. Otherwise you will not be allowed to register for classes. If you need more information or appropriate forms, contact Mona at Mona.Blanchette-Mccubbin@gallaudet.edu.
NOTE: You are not eligible for a temporary (non-immigrant) student visa unless you have a clear and definitive intent to return to your country of residence after your studies. During your visa interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate, any statement you make that would cast doubt on your intent to return home after your studies could lead to a denial of your visa application. Some suggestions of how to respond when meeting with an Embassy Official or Consulate would be to:
  • Keep your answers short and to the point.
  • Do not engage the consulate officer in an argument.
  • Do not tell the officer that you intend to work in the U.S. while a student at Gallaudet or after completing your studies.
  • Ask the officer for a list of documents to submit if your application for the visa is denied.