SEVIS Coordinator

The HIO SEVIS Coordinator serves as the point person at the HIO overseeing visa management protocols to ensure that the university meets all reporting requirements and registration deadlines for all J-1 Scholars (as well as F and J students) sponsored by the University. Hiring departments begin visa sponsorship work with the HIO advisor assigned to them. However for J scholars, once the visa document has been produced (Form DS-2019) management of the visa record and the scholars arrival is handled by the SEVIS Coordinator.

Monthly Email Alerts

The HIO sends out monthly email messages to the department contacts of all incoming J-1 scholars the second Monday of each month. The monthly email messages are sent for two reasons: to alert a department that an incoming scholar is expected to arrive within the month, and to ensure that the scholar registers with the HIO within the 30 day validation period. The scholar's SEVIS record must be validated by the HIO within 30 days of the start date on the Form DS-2019. If the scholar's SEVIS record is not validated within the 30 days, it will be automatically terminated in SEVIS.

To avoid auto-termination of a scholar's SEVIS record, the department contact must notify the SEVIS Coordinator at the HIO when there is a change to the original start date on the Form DS-2019. If a scholar will be delayed in coming to Harvard changes will need to be made to the scholar's record in SEVIS. The department contact should provide the SEVIS Coordinator with the reason for the delay, and provide amended start and end dates for the visa sponsorship.

The SEVIS Coordinator will change and reissue an amended Form DS-2019 for the incoming scholar. If enough time allows the Form DS-2019 to be mailed to the scholar, the scholar will travel to the United States with the amended Form. If there is not enough time to send the amended Form DS-2019 to the scholar, the amended Form DS-2019 will be kept at the HIO. The Scholar will receive the amended Form DS-2019 when registering with the HIO.