-----Original Message----- From: Richard C. Levin [mailtpresidents.office@yale.edu] Subject: Yale policy on SEVIS fee I am pleased to announce that Yale University will pay the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) fee for all new degree-seeking international students. As you may know, each new international student who applies for a visa after September 1, 2004 is required to pay a new $100 fee before a visa application will be considered. SEVIS is a federally mandated system for tracking information relating to international students and scholars. U.S. colleges and universities have been required to enter information into the SEVIS database for almost two years, but the $100 SEVIS fee took effect only recently. Yale's decision to pay the SEVIS fee directly to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for each student who commits to attend Yale will spare international students not only the expense but also the inconvenience of paying the fee. This action supplements the visa policy initiatives outlined in my September 1, 2004 letter to the Yale International Community (http://www.yale.edu/opa/intl/news/20040901.html) and reinforces the message that international students are welcomed and valued by Yale. I wish to thank the Provost, the Deans, and the Graduate Student Assembly for their support of this plan, which underscores the critical importance of international students to the Yale community and its academic endeavors.
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