The Scholar Visa Process

The following information outlines the visa application process when a new international scholar comes to Harvard University (or its affiliated hospitals) from outside the United States using a visa sponsored by the Harvard International Office (HIO). All visas sponsored by the HIO require both a visa document from the HIO and a visa from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate outside the United States. (Canadian citizens are exempt from the visa requirement.) The information in this section provides an overview of what to expect when requesting a visa document, applying for a visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, and finally entering the United States.

This section refers to several visa types for international scholars and their corresponding forms:

J-1 visa = Form DS-2019
H-1B, O-1 = Form I-797 Notice of Action/ Approval Notice

Before the HIO can consider visa sponsorship, there must be an offer of an academic appointment from a Harvard University entity with hiring authority. The hiring or appointing department at Harvard (or affiliated hospital) submits required information to the HIO via eScholar. This information includes confirmation that there is a Harvard academic appointment and that there are adequate funds for the visit if Harvard is not funding the position.

The advisors in the HIO review the information to see if the individual is eligible for a visa sponsored by the HIO. If approved, the HIO begins the process of issuing a visa document for the scholar. The J visa document is generated in the HIO. Other visas must be petitioned for and approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in advance. If there are no unusual circumstances and all of the data is complete, the time frame for the HIO to generate a Form DS-2019 for a J visa is generally up to 30 days. To petition and obtain an approved Form I-797 for an H-1B or O-1 visa from USCIS via regular processing usually takes 2 to 6 months.

Once the HIO has the visa document, the advisor prepares instruction materials and sends the documents overseas to scholars. The process differs if the scholar is already in the United States on a visa. Contact your HIO advisor for details.

Once the scholar receives the visa document from the HIO, s/he is ready to begin the visa application process at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.