Watch this guide as a video
Pay the SEVIS fee before your visa interview — not the day before
The SEVIS fee must be paid before your visa interview. It does not need to be paid before your biometrics appointment, so if you have your biometrics coming up and the fee is still unpaid, you are fine for now. But do not leave it until the last moment. Once you pay the SEVIS fee on the portal, it takes about three working days to reflect. If you pay it the day before your interview — or even two days before — it may not have processed in time, and you will not have a valid receipt to show.
All SEVIS fee payments are made through the portal at fmjfee.com. Go to the portal, enter your SEVIS ID, fill in the few details it asks for, and complete the payment. Once payment goes through, you will receive a SEVIS fee receipt. That receipt is a mandatory document for your visa interview — do not forget to bring it.
Your SEVIS fee is tied to your specific university and course — not just any I-20
This is the part that catches a lot of applicants off guard. The SEVIS fee is not a one-time universal payment. It is specific to the SEVIS ID printed on your I-20, which means it is specific to your university and your course. If you paid the SEVIS fee and then decided to switch universities, you cannot simply use the same payment. You need to transfer the SEVIS fee from the old university to the new one.
Want personalized feedback on your answers?
Shachi does 1-on-1 mock interviews — get real-time coaching before your consulate visit.
Book a Mock InterviewTo do this, send an email to the SEVIS support team — you will find the support email address on the fmjfee.com portal. In your email, tell them you need the SEVIS fee transferred from University A to University B. This transfer also takes about three to four working days. So if you are changing universities, handle the transfer at least a week before your visa interview. Once the transfer is complete, download your new SEVIS fee receipt and take that to the interview.
The same logic applies if you change your course within the same university. A change of course can sometimes result in a new SEVIS ID on your updated I-20. If that happens, your original SEVIS fee payment may no longer match. Check with your university if your SEVIS ID has changed, and if it has, arrange the transfer as described above.
The SEVIS fee is only valid for 12 months — check yours has not expired
A SEVIS fee payment is valid for 12 months from the date you paid it. If you paid the fee last year, your interview got delayed, and more than 12 months have passed, your payment is no longer valid. You will need to pay the SEVIS fee again before you can attend your interview.
Log in to the fmjfee.com portal and check the current status of your payment. If there is any uncertainty about whether your fee is still valid, do not guess. The SEVIS support email is quite active and responsive. Send them a message explaining your situation — whether it is about validity, payment status, or a transfer — and they will give you a clear answer. It is always better to spend five minutes sending that email than to arrive at your interview with a document question mark hanging over your file.
Need help with your visa preparation?
Have questions after reading this guide? I’m happy to help.
Chat with Shachi on WhatsApp