Pay the SEVIS I-901 Fee

After you have obtained a UNC Charlotte I-20 or DS-2019, you are ready to pay the SEVIS I-901 Fee. F-1/J-1 students have to pay a SEVIS fee once per program (unless a student is filing for reinstatement). SEVIS is the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. The fee funds the operations of the U.S. government’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which oversees SEVIS.

You must pay the SEVIS fee if you are:

  • Applying for a visa as a new student beginning a UNC Charlotte program with an I-20/DS-2019
  • Applying to change your status to F-1/J-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/J-1 status as a Canadian citizen. You cannot pay the fee at your port of entry.

There are several ways to pay the SEVIS fee, but you only need to choose one. Click on the drop down menu below to learn about each option. The ISSO recommends paying the fee online as this will be easiest for most students, but if you are an F-1 student with a country of citizenship or country of birth of Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, or Gambia, you must pay by money order, Western Union Quick Pay, or certified check drawn from a U.S. bank.

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. Keep a copy of your receipt with your other immigration documents.
Pay the SEVIS fee by mail
    1. Obtain Form I-901 (Fee Remittance for Certain F Nonimmigrants). You can download the form or request the form by phone at 1-800-870-3676 (inside the United States).
    2. Complete Form I-901. Be sure to write your name exactly as it appears on your I-20 form.
    3. Prepare a check, international money order, or foreign draft (drawn on U.S. banks only) in the amount of $350, made payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”
    4. Mail the completed Form I-901 and payment to the address indicated on Form I-901.

    You can print your I-901 receipt online after it has been received by ICE. Keep these documents with your other important immigration documents.

Pay the SEVIS fee by Western Union Quick Pay
  1. Complete Form I-901. 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.

A copy of instructions and sample forms can be viewed at and printed from the ICE website.

After paying the fee…

Keep of copy of your SEVIS Fee Payment Receipt — you’ll need this for your F-1/J-1 visa interview.