What is SEVIS?

SEVIS stands for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. It maintains current information on nonimmigrant students, exchange visitors, and their dependents (i.e., all those in F or J status). As an F-1 student, you will be assigned a SEVIS number, and a SEVIS record will be created for you. SEVIS will track you from the time you receive your I-20 until you complete your program.

The Office of International Affairs is responsible for updating your SEVIS record. We are required to report:

• Full-time enrollment
• Failure to enroll
• Dropping below a full-time course load without prior authorization
• Any other failure to maintain student status or complete program
• A change in legal name or address
• Your graduation if it occurs prior to the expected program end date
• Start date of your next session
• Transfers
• Program extensions
• Off-campus employment authorization
• Any other major changes to your program

For F-1 students, the SEVIS fee is $350.

You Must Pay the SEVIS Fee If You Are:

• Applying for a visa as a new student beginning an IUPUI program with an I-20
• Applying to change your status to F-1 from another nonimmigrant status while in the United States
• Filing for reinstatement after being out of status while in the United States for more than five months
• Traveling to the United States in F-1 status as a Canadian citizen. You cannot pay the fee at your port of entry.

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SEVIS FEE

What is SEVIS?

SEVIS stands for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. It maintains current information on nonimmigrant students, exchange visitors, and their dependents (i.e., all those in F or J status). As an F-1 student, you will be assigned a SEVIS number, and a SEVIS record will be created for you. SEVIS will track you from the time you receive your I-20 until you complete your program.

The Office of International Affairs is responsible for updating your SEVIS record. We are required to report:

• Full-time enrollment
• Failure to enroll
• Dropping below a full-time course load without prior authorization
• Any other failure to maintain student status or complete program
• A change in legal name or address
• Your graduation if it occurs prior to the expected program end date
• Start date of your next session
• Transfers
• Program extensions
• Off-campus employment authorization
• Any other major changes to your program

For F-1 students, the SEVIS fee is $350.

You Must Pay the SEVIS Fee If You Are:

• Applying for a visa as a new student beginning an IUPUI program with an I-20
• Applying to change your status to F-1 from another nonimmigrant status while in the United States
• Filing for reinstatement after being out of status while in the United States for more than five months
• Traveling to the United States in F-1 status as a Canadian citizen. You cannot pay the fee at your port of entry.

You Do Not Need to Pay the SEVIS Fee If:

• You are an F-1 student in lawful status transferring between schools in the United States
• You are the dependent of an F-1 student and you have F-2 status

Paying the SEVIS Fee

You can pay the SEVIS fee online or by mail. We recommend paying online, because it is the fastest method. It can be paid by you or by a third party, from inside or outside the United States. No matter which method you choose, your payment must be accompanied by Form I-901.

Remember that paying the SEVIS fee is only the first step of the visa application process, so get it done as soon as possible.

If you are an F-1 student with a country of citizenship or country of birth of Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, or Nigeria, you must pay by money order, Western Union Quick Pay, or certified check drawn from a U.S. bank.

• To Pay the SEVIS Fee Online
  1. Go to the SEVIS fee processing site.
  2. Complete Form I-901 online (be sure to insert your name exactly as it appears on your I-20) and supply the necessary MasterCard, Visa, or American Express credit card information.
  3. Print a copy of the online receipt.
  4. We suggest that you keep a copy of your receipt with your other important immigration documents.

• To Pay the SEVIS Fee by Western Union Quick Pay
  1. Complete Form I-901 at FMJFee.com. You will get a unique payment coupon number, necessary to validate and process your payment at Western Union. You cannot submit a SEVIS fee payment via Western Union without this coupon number.
  2. Print a copy of the payment coupon and take it to your local Western Union office.
  3. Fill out the Quick Collect/Quick Pay Form according to the information found at the bottom of the printed coupon.
  4. Present the coupon and your payment to the Western Union agent for processing.
  5. A copy of instructions and sample forms can be viewed at and printed from the ICE website.