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Dear International Students,
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which is the government office that administers the F-1 visa program in the United States, is checking to see whether international students paid the required SEVIS I-901 fee for their current F-1 visa program.
Please read the following information carefully as it can have important consequences on your F-1 visa status if the government cannot find record of you paying this fee. This message only applies to students with
F-1 visas at this time.
What is the SEVIS I-901 fee? When did I pay the fee?
You may remember that before starting your F-1 visa program in the United States, you were instructed to pay a $200 SEVIS I-901 fee (aka the “SEVIS fee”), and print the receipt that
you paid this fee. This applies to all students starting their F-1 visa programs after September 1, 2004. Most students are asked to present this SEVIS fee at the time of their visa appointment. If you are from Canada, you may have been asked to present this
receipt upon entering the U.S. to begin your F-1 program. If you filed for a change of status to F-1 in the United States, you should have included a copy of your fee payment receipt with your change of status application. You may also be asked to present
this proof of payment when traveling into the United States.
Students must pay the fee each time they get a new I-20 form
with a new SEVIS number. Your SEVIS number is the long number listed at the upper right side of your Form I-20, that starts “N00…” If you maintain your F-1 status with no interruptions, your SEVIS number generally does not change. However, if you had
a problem with your status, or if you have been in multiple academic programs and did not follow SEVIS transfer procedures, you may have gotten a new SEVIS number. Please check your Form I-20s to see if your SEVIS numbers are consistent.
If you have F-2 dependents, they are NOT required to pay the SEVIS fee.
What if I didn’t pay the SEVIS fee, or what if the government thinks I didn’t pay the fee?
If the government does not have a record that you paid the SEVIS fee, you will receive a letter in the mail from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/SEVP giving you “NOTICE OF
UNPAID I-901 SEVIS FEE”. This letter will notify you that you have 30 days to pay the SEVIS fee (they will give you a deadline) and if you don’t comply with the requirements in the letter, your SEVIS record will be automatically terminated
by the given deadline. This is a very serious matter, and it is critical that you comply with the requirements in the notice to avoid having problems with your F-1 status. This letter will be sent to the address listed in
your SEVIS record, which must always reflect where you are currently residing.
What if I get a letter with a Notice of Unpaid I-901 SEVIS FEE?
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Contact ISSS right away. Make an appointment with your ISSS advisor at isss.uconn.edu and click on the “Schedule an Appointment” button. Bring the letter that
you received to your appointment.
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If you have already paid your SEVIS fee and have only one SEVIS number, please contact SEVP via email
[log in to unmask] or by calling the I-901 SEVIS Fee customer service hotline at
703-603-3400 .
You will be required to present a proof of your payment, however it was made (paid by mail, online, at a port of entry, etc.).
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If you have not paid the SEVIS fee, pay the fee now at
www.fmjfee.com and follow all instructions outlined in the letter.
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Remember, the government will only contact you by
LETTER to pay this fee. If you receive a phone call or email from someone asking you to pay money to maintain your legal status, it is most likely a fraud. Do not give anyone information or wire money to anyone who contacts you by telephone or
email.
ISSS encourages all F-1 students to take the following steps
now:
Check to be sure you paid the SEVIS fee:
If you have your SEVIS fee payment receipt, check it to make sure that it applies to the SEVIS number listed on your current Form I-20. If you cannot find your SEVIS fee payment receipt,
you should go to the SEVIS fee payment website to check whether a fee payment is listed for your current SEVIS number, and to reprint your receipt. Go to
www.fmjfee.com and click on the gray button that says “Check I-901 Status/Print Payment Confirmation”. Follow the prompts to find and print your proof of payment. If you cannot find record that you paid the SEVIS fee based
on your current SEVIS number, contact your ISSS advisor, or pay the SEVIS fee at this time if you know that you did not pay the fee.
Check to make sure your
Current Local address in Student Admin is up to date, and be sure to keep it up to date:
The address listed in your SEVIS record is the same address listed in StudentAdmin/Peoplesoft under the “Current Local” address field. This address must always reflect where you are currently living in the U.S. Please go into StudentAdmin
and check to be sure that the Current Local address listed is accurate. If you will be traveling over the summer, it may be wise to have someone who can forward your mail to you during the summer in the event that an important letter from US Immigration and
Customs Enforcement/SEVP arrives. If you need to update your address, instructions can be found on our website here:
http://isss.uconn.edu/students/current-students/current-students-update-your-address/
F-1 visa holders on post-completion OPT: Remember that you need to update your address instead by submitting the OPT Information Form online. Go to
www.isss.uconn.edu and click on “Submit OPT Information”.
Thank you and please let us know if you have any questions!
Rae Alexander
Assistant Director, International Student & Scholar Services
UConn Global Affairs
International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)
2011 HILLSIDE ROAD, U-1083
STORRS, CT 06269-1083
PHONE: 860.486.3855 |
FAX: 860.486.5800
EMAIL:
[log in to unmask]