Everything can be challenging for international students but applying for a visa is one of the top things that can make international students nervous.
The first step to applying for a student visa, whether it is F or J, is to pay the SEVIS I-901 fee upon receipt of the immigration document (Form I-20 or Form DS-2019).
The most popular payment method is, of course, the credit card due to its convenience except for students from certain countries. For example, students from one of these countries- Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, or Gambia– must pay by money order, Western Union Quick Pay or certified check drawn from a U.S. bank.
Anyhow- what if you meant to pay by card but happened to click the “pay by check or money order” button by mistake? It does not seem to have the “change the payment method” button, what should you do?
By reading this post, new international students who are in the scenario will be able to learn how to change the payment method and pay the SEVIS I-901 fee by credit card.
Contents
Case Study Scenario
Case study scenario: The student tried to pay the SEVIS fee with a credit card but selected the “pay by check or money order” by mistake.
The student tried to correct this error but the system won’t let her change the originally selected payment method.
What should he/she do?
Answers based on the SEVP Help Desk
Go to FMJfee.com and follow the instructions below to change the payment method:
- Click the “Check I-901 Status” payment on fmjfee.com
- Enter the SEVIS number and your first and last name and click “Sumit/Update.”
- The student will receive the red box message saying “The information you provided matches payment records already in the system. A new payment may not be required.” From there, click the “Continue Making Payment” button
- When the following message pops up, click the “Make Payment” button
- Click the “Credit Card” button
- Enter the credit card information
Then voilà– you will be able to change the payment method and pay the SEVIS I-901 fee with a credit card.
Once you pay the fee, don’t forget to keep the payment receipt as you need to bring it to your visa interview. When you prepare for the visa interview by yourself, don’t forget to show that you have a strong tie to your home country.
If you are not sure what this means, please check out the post titled Why 30~60% of student visa applicants get refused. Then, on the visa interview date, refer to the following blog post to prepare the documents you need to bring to the interview.
Related blog post: F1 visa interview wait time and what to bring
Once your visa is approved, check out the F-1 visa or J-1 visa page to learn visa regulations to get internships, jobs basically all the information to have a successful study abroad experience in the U.S.!
Remember, it is your right to know visa rules as it is your life!
