Harvard International Office

U.S. immigration regulations do not clearly define employment and never contemplated the new era of entrepreneurs, influencers and social media. In a time where it seems many students and scholars are interested in launching a new business endeavor, foreign nationals must beware and tread very carefully.  What should non-immigrant students and academics know about launching a business at various stages of their immigration journey?  What activities count as U.S. employment? What options exist for work authorization both in the short-term and longer-term alternatives?

Find out the answers to these questions and more during an informational session by immigration attorney Mary E. Walsh, a partner at Iandoli Desai & Cronin, P.C. which is a firm specializing in U.S. immigration law. You may view a recording of this session here and the session presentation slides here. 

Starting Tuesday, January 17, the HIO will expand its walk in travel signature and document pick up hours to 12pm – 2pm every week day. Until January 17, the HIO is open weekdays from 12pm – 1pm for walk in travel signatures. For directions, and more information on contacting the HIO, please see Contact Us.

The HIO is now on Instagram! Follow @hio.harvard for important updates and seasonal reminders regarding travel, immigration updates, upcoming events, and more. As always, make sure you check your email for important messages from the HIO's advisors and the general HIO account internationaloffice@harvard.edu.

Many U.S. airports have discontinued stamping passports with an entry stamp when you enter the U.S. Instead, each time you enter the U.S., the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) creates an online, electronic entry record to record your entry to the U.S. This is called your I-94 record. The I-94 record will be your only official record of entry to the U.S. 

You should check and save a screenshot of your I-94  record each time you enter the U.S. as the I-94 record is the only official evidence of your entry into the U.S. and you may need it for other purposes. If the I-94 record ever displays incorrect information, or cannot be found, please contact your HIO Advisor.

If you will be working on campus at Harvard and earning U.S. income, you will need to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) for tax purposes.

You may find full details on the application process, including the required documents to apply, here. Please note, the application will require you to go in person to a Social Security office during their walk in hours. An appointment is not needed to apply for an SSN.

Your visa status determines your eligibility and required documents for the SSN application:

• J-1, H-1B, and O-1 Research Scholars do not need a letter from the HIO to apply for an SSN.
• J-1 Students and J-1 Student Interns need a letter from the HIO first before applying for an SSN.
• F-1 Students must be working on campus, or have a period of approved OPT or CPT, to qualify for an SSN. If you are working on campus at Harvard as an F-1 visa holder, you must obtain a letter from your employer using this template and a letter from the HIO prior to applying for the SSN.

Students requiring a letter from the HIO must make the request through the HIO’s SSN Letter Request Form. Please review the full application instructions on the HIO’s SSN page.

Please note, newly arriving students, scholars, and student interns MUST register with the HIO first, and receive confirmation that the registration has been completed, before beginning the SSN request process. 

Welcome to Harvard to any incoming international students, scholars, student interns, and their families!

As a reminder, once you arrive in the U.S. you must register your arrival with the HIO. The HIO is processing all registrations via email. Please do not come to the HIO offices for registration at this time. You may find instructions based on your visa category below:

• Registration instructions for students
• Registration instructions for scholars
• Registration instructions for student interns

After registration is complete, individuals on F-1 and J-1 visas and their dependents with visas sponsored by Harvard will need to obtain a travel signature on their F-1 Form I-20 or J-1 DS-2019 Form in order to travel internationally during their program. 

• F-1 students may request a travel signature to be sent via email by completing the F-1 Travel Signature Request Form. If you have dependents, you do not need to submit a separate request for F-2 signatures; all forms I-20 will be issued and sent to you automatically.
• J-1 students, scholars, and student interns and their dependents will need to visit the HIO during our walk in travel signature and document pick up hour, which takes place Monday-Friday from 12pm - 2pm on the 8th floor of the Smith Center to obtain a travel signature. DS-2019s cannot be sent electronically and must contain an original signature from the HIO.

If you are an incoming student or scholar who is applying for a visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, please make sure to update any visa appointment booking, visa appointment cancellations, and visa approvals with the HIO using our online reporting form. You may submit this form multiple times to update previously-reported information. We will use your reporting anonymously to help your fellow students at the University as they navigate the visa application process.

As of 12:01AM ET on June 12, 2022, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) will no longer require air passengers traveling to the United States to show a negative COVID-19 viral test or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board their flight. For more information, see Rescission: Requirement for Negative Pre-Departure COVID-19 Test Result or Documentation of Recovery from COVID-19 for all Airline or Other Aircraft Passengers Arriving into the United States from Any Foreign Country. All travelers to the U.S. will still need to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

Newly arriving students and scholars can find arrival information, including the documents needed to show to Customs upon first arrival to the U.S., here. 

Continuing students and scholars may find a full list of documents needed to travel to the U.S. from a trip abroad here. 

As a reminder, students graduating in May 2022 need to submit work authorization applications to remain in the U.S. and work in their field of study after graduation. Post-graduation work authorization needs to be approved before graduating students may begin any positions in the U.S., including on campus work at Harvard, after graduation.

• F-1 students will need to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT). Details can be found here. A job offer is not required for OPT applications. OPT applications must be submitted before students depart the U.S. after graduation, or before the end of the 60 day grace period post-graduation. 
• J-1 students will need to apply for Academic Training (AT). Details can be found here. A U.S. job offer is required to apply for AT. AT applications must be submitted to the HIO before the end of your 30 day grace period post-graduation. 

As of Thursday, April 7, Social Security Administration offices nationwide will reopen for walk in services. International students, scholars, and student interns in need of applying for a Social Security Number (SSN) no longer need to schedule an appointment in advance to visit a Social Security office. Once you have all of the SSN application documents printed, you may visit a Social Security office without an appointment during their walk in hours. Please note, there may be long wait times for walk ins when the offices first open.

For a list of documents needed for the SSN application, please review the HIO’s Social Security Numbers page.

For Social Security hours and locations, please use the Social Security Administration website.