Office of International Programs

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 DS-2019 form.

3. Print a copy of the online receipt.

4. Make an extra copy of your receipt and keep it with you other important immigration documents.

If you pay the SEVIS fee by Internet, 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 3 business days before applying for a visa.

2. Complete the form. Be sure to write your name exactly how it appears on your DS-2019 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 in the amount of $100 U.S. made out to The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

4. Send the completed I-901 form and payment.

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. (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 US 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. If you want to pay more, you can ask DHS to send the receipt by express courier.

Fee payments should be entered into your permanent immigration SEVIS record, but we recommend that you keep a copy of your fee receipt (Form I-797) to use in the future.