Applicants for these visas will be required to provide proof that the new processing fee has been paid.

"No visa can be issued without proof of fee payment," says a Special Bulletin of the US Embassy.

This fee, the Student and Exchange Visitor (SEVIS) fee, will apply to students and exchange visitors who hold 1-20s or DS-2019s issued after September 1, 2004.

The fees will apply only to primary applicants and not to their spouses or children.

The fee will not affect applicants who are planning to arrive in the US this fall nor will it affect any students renewing their F1 status after a short vacation.

The fee will be charged only once per student per year of applications, regardless of how many schools to which the student applies or is accepted or how many times the student applies for a visa.

For exchange visitor applicants, the fee must be paid for each programme in which the applicant participates. The sponsors of exchange visitor programmes will have the option of paying the fee directly rather than having the participant pay.

Additionally, individuals travelling on certain US government-sponsored programmes will not have to pay the fee.