How to Begin Visa Sponsorship at Harvard

As of December 1, 2009, Department administrators must use eScholar to notify the HIO of upcoming academic appointments requiring University visa sponsorship. The transition from the paper-based system of Preliminary Data Sheets ends on November 30, 2009. All Department administrators should have received information from Ricardo Maldonado in the HIO about accessing eScholar. If you are an administrator who has not received this information, please contact your advisor in the HIO.

eScholar is a web-based electronic system designed to allow the scholars to enter their information electronically and submit it to their departments. It will also allow those departments to review and complete the data from the scholars and submit it to the HIO for processing. This system is designed to increase the efficiency, speed, and accuracy of the process. eScholar will eliminate unnecessary delays and data entry errors while streamlining the whole process of visa document requests.

If you need assistance with eScholar, please refer to the eScholar Manual and to the eScholar FAQ. If you need technical assistance with eScholar, please be in touch with Ricardo Maldonado.

N.B. For scholars already in the Harvard system who are changing departments and for scholars already in the Harvard system from previous visits, use eForm and fax it to the HIO instead of using eScholar.