Online Payment Instructions

• ISEO's online recharge form aligns with the new Financial System (July 1, 2020), and fees will change, including the addition of a two-tiered structure to reflect different rates applied based on source of funds--institutional or credit card/outside payments, per institutional policy regarding overhead cost recovery. 

• Department Recharge
  • Select if your department will be paying using recharge information (previously referred to as index)
    • Reminder: Departments MUST pay processing fees for Postdoc appointments.

• Application Information will contain reference number associated with specific payment transactions, department and faculty/scholar's contact information.

• The Transaction Type section will allow the department to enter the required recharge information
  
  • Financial Unit Name (Not Number; please add the name that correlates to the seven digit numbers found in your Departments Chart of Accounts)
  • Project (always 7 characters)
  • Task (6-character max; generally, a single whole number)
  • Additional data, only required if sponsored research/grants
    • Award (6 characters, only if sponsored research)
    • Funding Source (7 characters, only if sponsored research)

***For questions regarding your department's POET(AF) information, please contact your fund manager***

• Click Submit to provide ISEO with the recharge information.

• An email with the transaction contents will be sent to you (departmental administrator) making the transaction and cc the scholar associated with the transaction.
• You will have the option to "Print Record;" allowing you to print the confirmation webpage.
• The "Receipt/Invoice" option will allow you to view a receipt for the payment as well as email a link to the receipt/invoice to yourself, the scholar, fund manager, or another individual.
  • We highly encourage the usage of the Receipt/Invoice option as the view and print options are clearer.

• The email invoice function, will email a link to the invoice PDF. If no information is noted in the Message section, the body of the email generated will only contain a link to the receipt/invoice.

Note: ISEO's Recharge Form (STOVA) will time out after 30 minutes of inactivity. 

• Departmental Admin Information Section
  • Department Administrative Contact First Name
  • Department Administrative Contact Last Name
  • Department Administrative Contact UCSD email address
• International Scholar Information
  • Faculty/Scholar's First Name
  • Faculty/Scholar's Last Name
  • Faculty/Scholar's UC San Diego Home Department
  • Faculty/Scholar's Email Address - enter their UC San Diego email if they have one. Please try to avoid using @hanmail emails as we have experienced some technological issues with those accounts in the past.
  • ARC Number - if applicable
• Select the ISEO  processing fee that is associated with the request being submitted to ISEO

• Credit Card Payment by Scholar or Third Party - Institution overhead cost recovery fee
  
  • Select if the scholar or a third party will be paying the ISEO visa processing fee.
  • There is an institution overhead cost recovery fee for external (non-recharge) payments, the additional fee will be noted here and in the payment/invoice page.
  • Departments MUST pay processing fees for Postdoc appointments via recharge.
  • The credit card payment option will not appear for certain payment selections, for example H-1B, as the department must pay that fee via recharge due to government regulations sorrounding the specific status. 

• Application Information will contain reference number associated with specific payment transactions, department and faculty/scholar's contact information.

• The "select your method of payment" will allow you to choose "Send email to Faculty/Scholar for payment" and click submit. This will generate an email to the scholar prompting them to make a payment for the fee you have selected.

• Faculty/Scholar will receive an email with a link to pay the specific fee you selected, as well as the reference number and email they must use to sign in. The Department Admin will be cc'd.

TIP: Make sure they use the email and reference number noted in the email from ISEO's recharge form.  

• Once signed in to ISEO's Recharge Form, in the "select your method of payment" section, the Faculty/Scholar should select "submit credit card payment" which will generate fields required for the Faculty/Scholar to complete their credit card payment. The payment types that are accepted include: Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American Express.

• Once payment is made, the confirmation page will appear.
• An email with the transaction contents will be sent to the departmental administrator and cc the scholar associated with the transaction.
• The Faculty/Scholar will have the option to "Print Record" which allows them to print the confirmation webpage.
• The "Receipt/Invoice" option will allow the Faculty/Scholar to view a receipt for the payment as well as email a link to the receipt/invoice to themselves or another individual.
  • We highly encourage the usage of the Receipt/Invoice option as the view and print options are clearer.

• The email invoice function, will email a link to the invoice PDF. If no information is noted in the Message section, the body of the email generated will only contain a link to the receipt/invoice.

Note: ISEO's Recharge Form (STOVA) will time out after 30 minutes of inactivity. 

• Departmental Admin Information Section
  • Department Administrative Contact First Name
  • Department Administrative Contact Last Name
  • Department Administrative Contact UCSD email address
• International Scholar Information
  • Faculty/Scholar's First Name
  • Faculty/Scholar's Last Name
  • Faculty/Scholar's UC San Diego Home Department
  • Faculty/Scholar's Email Address - enter their UC San Diego email if they have one. Please try to avoid using @hanmail emails as we have experienced some technological issues with those accounts in the past.
  • ARC Number - if applicable
• Select the ISEO  processing fee that is associated with the request being submitted to ISEO

• Credit Card Payment by Scholar or Third Party - Institution overhead cost recovery fee
  
  • Select if the scholar or a third party will be paying the ISEO visa processing fee.
  • There is an institution overhead cost recovery fee for external (non-recharge) payments, the additional fee will be noted here and in the payment/invoice page.
  • Departments MUST pay processing fees for Postdoc appointments via recharge.
  • The credit card payment option will not appear for certain payment selections, for example H-1B, as the department must pay that fee via recharge due to government regulations sorrounding the specific status. 

• Application Information will contain reference number associated with specific payment transactions, department and faculty/scholar contact information.

• The "select your method of payment" will allow you to choose "Send email to Faculty/Scholar for payment" and click submit. This will generate an email to the scholar prompting them to make a payment for the fee you have selected.

• The Department Admin and Faculty/Scholar will receive an email with a link to pay the specific fee you selected, as well as the reference number and email they must use to sign in. This email can be forwarded to the Third Party that will be paying via credit card.

TIP: Make sure they use the email and reference number noted in the email from ISEO's recharge form.  

• Once signed in to ISEO's Recharge Form, in the "select your method of payment" section, the Third Party Payer should select "submit credit card payment" which will generate fields required for the individual to complete their credit card payment.  The payment types that are accepted include: Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American Express. They can remove the Scholar's name from the Cardholder name section to add the appropriate information.

• Once payment is made, the confirmation page will appear.
• An email with the transaction contents will be sent to the departmental administrator and cc the scholar associated with the transaction.
• The "Receipt/Invoice" option will allow the Third Party Payer to view a receipt for the payment as well as email a link to the receipt/invoice to themselves.
  • We highly encourage the usage of the Receipt/Invoice option as the view and print options are clearer.

• The email invoice function, will email a link to the invoice PDF. If no information is noted in the Message section, the body of the email generated will only contain a link to the receipt/invoice.

Note: ISEO's Recharge Form (STOVA) will time out after 30 minutes of inactivity. 

Who can pay? 

• The online payment process allows departments to make recharge payments or J-1 Exchange Visitors to pay the J-1 service fee and/or RUSH fee directly using their credit card; the process must be initiated by the sponsoring department completing the Visa Services Online Recharge Form.
• If the department checks the "credit card" payment option, an email alerting the prospective J-1 scholar will be sent to them, with details on how to pay the fee using their credit card. ISEO will verify that payment is received prior to issuing the requested DS-2019.

ISEO processing times?

• Regular processing time for J-1 scholar applications is 15 business days, provided all required information/documentation has been submitted by the sponsoring department
• J-1 Rush Fee is required for:
  • Initial J-1 requests that require a start date in less than 45 days (excluding holidays). This policy reflects the processing time of our federal agencies, which include lengthy background checks required by the U.S. Department of State for visa applications.
  • Any initial transfer-in, extension, or amendment (not date amendment) requests that require processing in under 15 business days.

ISEO will collect both the USCIS filing fees and the ISEO processing fee at the same time via recharge. Visit H-1B Specialty Occupation for H-1B fee details.

ISEO Fee Information

• Who Pays ISEO Processing Fees?
  • ISEO processing fees for H-1B requests must be paid by the sponsoring department using recharge information (previously referred to as an index). These fees cannot be passed on to the UC San Diego scholar and must be paid by the employer, UC San Diego.
• Standard ISEO Processing Fee - H-1B Specialty Occupation Worker Fee: $3,126
  • Required for all H-1B requests submitted to ISEO at least three months before the requested start date.
• Rush ISEO Processing Fee - ISEO Employment-Based Rush Fee: $876
  • Required in addition to the standard processing fee for any H-1B request submitted to ISEO less than three months before the requested start date.
  • Please note: while ISEO’s standard processing time is two months, mailing and USCIS processing times must also be factored in when planning a start date.
• Combined Fee (Standard + Rush)
  • H-1B Specialty Occupation Worker + Rush Fee: $4,002
  • Required if the H-1B request is submitted within three months of the requested start date.

• Who can pay the USCIS processing fees? The fee cannot be passed onto the UC San Diego Scholar.
• USCIS fees: Using ISEO's online recharge system (STOVA), the the department will indicate which USCIS fees ISEO is authorized to collect and submit on the department’s behalf. 
  • I-129 USCIS Filing Fee ($460) - Required for all H-1B petitions, including:
    • New employees to UC San Diego
    • Scholars currently employed by UC San Diego changing status to H-1B
    • Scholars already in H-1B status at another employer coming to UC San Diego ("Port"/Transfer)
    • Amendments
    • Amendment/Extensions
    • Extensions
  • Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee ($500) - Required for:
    • New employees to UC San Diego
    • Scholars currently employed by UC San Diego changing status to H-1B
    • Scholars already in H-1B status at another employer coming to UC San Diego ("Port"/Transfer)
    • Not required for:
      • Amendments
      • Amendment/Extensions
      • Extensions
  • Premium Processing Fee ($2,805) - Guarantees 15 business day processing by USCIS from the date ISEO submits the H-1B petition.
    • Required for:
      • New employees to UC San Diego
      • Scholars currently employed by UC San Diego changing status to H-1B
      • Scholars already in H-1B status at another employer coming to UC San Diego("Port"/Transfer)
    • Optional for:
      • Amendments
      • Amendment/Extensions
      • Extensions
    • Important Notes on Premium Processing
      • If USCIS issues a Request for Evidence (RFE), the 15-business-day clock is paused and restarts once USCIS receives the requested information/documents.
      • If continuous employment authorization is at risk, the premium processing fee must be paid by the department. In cases where continuity of employment already exists (e.g., extensions or portability/“port” cases) and premium processing is requested for personal reasons (such as renewing a driver’s license or travel needs), the scholar may pay the fee.
        • These situations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by ISEO. If approved, the scholar will be required to provide a personal statement explaining the reason for paying the premium processing fee.

Steps for Submitting ISEO and USCIS Fees via STOVA

Important: Departments will need to complete the STOVA form twice—once for the ISEO processing fee and a second time for the USCIS filing fees.

1. Go to ISEO’s payment system (STOVA).
2. First submission – ISEO Processing Fees:
   • Select the ISEO processing fee(s), for example "H-1B Specialty Occupation Worker" or "RUSH and H-1B Specialty Occupation Worker"
   • Enter the recharge information
   • Save the confirmation email you receive.
     • Subject line of confirmation email will be "SCHOLAR NAME - ISEO Recharge Payment Confirmation"
3. Second submission – USCIS Filing Fees:
   • Return to STOVA.
   • Select the "USCIS Filing Fees: H-1B" option for the request type
   • Choose the appropiate USCIS filing fee(s) you are authorizing ISEO to use for the request.
   • Enter the recharge information.
   • Save the confirmation email you receive.
     • Subject line of confirmation email will be "SCHOLAR NAME - USCIS Recharge Payment Confirmation"
4. Provide both confirmation emails to your financial manager for recordkeeping.

ISEO fee information

• Fee payment for the Labor Certification (LC) must be paid by the sponsoring department via recharge information (previously referred to as index). The fee cannot be passed onto the UC San Diego Scholar.
• Other permanent residency related fees can be paid by either department or scholar.

USCIS fee information

• Who can pay the USCIS processing fees? The fee cannot be passed onto the UC San Diego Scholar.
• USCIS fees: departments will use ISEO's online recharge system (STOVA) to indicate which USCIS fees ISEO is authorized to collect and submit on the department’s behalf, along with the ISEO processing fee.

Steps for Submitting ISEO and USCIS Fees via STOVA

Important: Departments will need to complete the STOVA form twice—once for the ISEO processing fee and a second time for the USCIS filing fees.

1. Go to ISEO’s payment system (STOVA).
2. First submission – ISEO Processing Fees:
   • Select the ISEO processing fee(s), for example "Permanent Residence: I-140 Faculty via Labor Certification"
   • Enter the recharge information
   • Save the confirmation email you receive.
     • Subject line of confirmation email will be "SCHOLAR NAME - ISEO Recharge Payment Confirmation"
3. Second submission – USCIS Filing Fees:
   • Return to STOVA.
   • Select the "USCIS Filing Fees: ______" option for the request type
   • Choose the appropiate USCIS filing fee(s) you are authorizing ISEO to use for the request.
   • Enter the recharge information.
   • Save the confirmation email you receive.
     • Subject line of confirmation email will be "SCHOLAR NAME - USCIS Recharge Payment Confirmation"
4. Provide both confirmation emails to your financial manager for recordkeeping.

USCIS announced that effective October 28, 2025, they will only accept payments made via ACH or credit card. To ensure efficiency and compliance, ISEO advisors will process all required USCIS fees directly using P-Cards for requests submitted to USCIS. This means that departments will no longer need to order USCIS checks from IPPS for requests that require a USCIS fee, such as H-1Bs. Going forward, ISEO will collect both the USCIS filing fees and the ISEO processing fee at the same time via recharge. See screenshots below showing the updates that were implemented to ISEO's payment system to allow ISEO to collect both ISEO and USCIS processing fees. 

Steps for submitting ISEO and USCIS fees via STOVA

Important: Departments will need to complete the STOVA form twice—once for the ISEO processing fee and a second time for the USCIS filing fees.

1. Go to ISEO’s payment system (STOVA).
2. First submission – ISEO Processing Fees:
   • Select the ISEO processing fee(s), for example "H-1B Specialty Occupation Worker" or "RUSH and H-1B Specialty Occupation Worker"
   • Enter the recharge information
   • Save the confirmation email you receive.
     • Subject line of confirmation email will be "SCHOLAR NAME - ISEO Recharge Payment Confirmation"
3. Second submission – USCIS Filing Fees:
   • Return to STOVA.
   • Select the "USCIS Filing Fees: ______" option for the request type
   • Choose the appropiate USCIS filing fee(s) you are authorizing ISEO to use for the request.
   • Enter the recharge information.
   • Save the confirmation email you receive.
     • Subject line of confirmation email will be "SCHOLAR NAME - USCIS Recharge Payment Confirmation"
4. Provide both confirmation emails to your financial manager for recordkeeping.

• System errors or technical difficulties with  ISEO payment system (STOVA) contact: ifsorecharge@ucsd.edu
• Querions regarding which fees are required for the request that is being submitted: ISEO Scholar Advisor