The I-20 from ELS Language Centers shows that you have been accepted for a specific start date. If you cannot enter the United States to begin your studies on that date, you need to inform ELS of your new start date and we will send an updated I-20 to you.

To receive a new I-20, you must contact your Enrolment Advisor to advise them of the change you wish to make to your enrollment.

Please note that the request to update your I-20 must be received within one year of the date on which your first I-20 was issued. If more than one year has passed, you must re-apply by submitting a new application form and processing fee.

This SEVIS fee is required of all international students who come to the United States to attend colleges, universities, and language training programs. It is paid one time for each single educational program in which an F-1 student participates.

SEVIS fee payments are used by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fund the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). This program makes it possible for international students and exchange visitors to attend schools in the United States.

You will need to pay the SEVIS fee if you were issued a Form I-20 AND one of the following conditions applies:

• You are seeking an F-1 visa from a United States Embassy or Consulate for first-time attendance in a language training program. In this case, the SEVIS fee must be paid BEFORE visa issuance.
• You will re-enter the United States using a new Form I-20. In this case, the SEVIS fee must be paid BEFORE re-entry to the United States.

The accompanying spouse and dependents (F-2 visa holders) of the F-1 visa holder are not required to pay the SEVIS fee.

The SEVIS fee is $350. This fee is separate from and in addition to the visa application fee. The SEVIS fee must be paid by the Internet, by mail, or by Western Union. It cannot be paid at a United States Embassy or Consulate and it cannot be paid at port-of-entry.

The fee can be paid by one of three means:

• Electronically, by completing a form I-901 through the Internet at www.FMJfee.com and using a Visa®, MasterCard®, or American Express® credit card (this is the recommended form of payment).
• By mail, by submitting Form I-901, (https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/i901.pdf) fee remittance for Certain F, J, and M Nonimmigrants, together with a check or money order drawn on a U.S. bank and payable in U.S. currency. Sources for such checks and money orders include banks chartered or operated in the U.S., foreign subsidiaries of U.S. banks, or foreign banks that have an arrangement with a U.S. bank to issue a check, money order, or foreign draft that is drawn on a U.S. bank.
• By Western Union, by printing out instructions at: http://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/wu_instructions and taking the instructions to a local participating Western Union Agent location (http://www.payment-solutions.com/agent.asp) and completing a Western Union Blue Form (requested from the Western Union Agent location).

A third party, such as a friend or family member, can pay the fee on your behalf through the same means described above.

If you pay the SEVIS fee by Internet, your payment is processed immediately and, at the time you make payment, you can print a receipt directly from your computer. This computer-generated receipt can be used to verify you have paid the fee.

Mailing the SEVIS fee does not mean you have paid it. The fee is processed when it is received by DHS. If you mail your payment rather than pay on the Internet, it can take a long time for DHS to receive the payment and for you to receive a receipt by return mail.

Whether you choose to pay the fee by the Internet, by mail, or by Western Union, a paper receipt called a Form I-797 will be mailed to the address you provide on Form I-901. You may choose to have this receipt sent to you either by regular mail or, at an additional charge, by express delivery.

A paper receipt is recommended, but not required, in order for you to be issued a visa. Embassies and consular posts should be able to verify your fee payment without a receipt in most circumstances if you pay the fee far enough in advance of your visa interview.

Electronic payments must be submitted at least three business days before the interview if you will rely on electronic fee verification at the consulate. Mailed payments must be sent in a way that is sure to arrive at the DHS address listed on the I-901 at least three business days before the scheduled interview.

If you have not received a visa, you can apply the I-901 SEVIS Fee that you already paid to another Form I-20 provided that you paid the first SEVIS fee less than a year ago. You will have to request to SEVP to move/transfer your original and unused SEVIS fee to your new I-20 form. 

Follow these directions for requesting that SEVP move your fee payment: https://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/faq

Once paid, the SEVIS fee is non-refundable, unless paid by mistake, even if your visa is denied or, after the visa is issued, you choose not to come to the United States.

If you applied for an F-1 visa and paid the SEVIS fee within the last year but were denied a visa, you do not have to pay the SEVIS fee again as long as you re-apply using the same Form I-20.