Harvard International Office

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.

Join us for Harvard's first Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Forum which will bring the Harvard community together from April 12th through April 14th in an online virtual platform to learn and engage with critical EDIB topics. This year's theme, Reimagine Our Community, is driven by the need to collaboratively explore how we might work together to build a campus environment where everyone can thrive. All Harvard affiliates are invited to attend and participate.

For more information visit the EDIB Forum website.

How does culture influence the ways you communicate and interact with others? Learn more about your own style of communication and about different communication styles around the globe. Practice intercultural communication strategies to build connections with others. Join us for a “Navigating Intercultural Communication” Workshop!

On Wednesday, March 16 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. the HIO will host a workshop on intercultural communication for international postdocs led by Sarah Emory, Assistant Director for International Teachers and Scholars at the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University. You will have the opportunity to engage and connect with other international postdocs across the university around the important topic of intercultural communication.

The workshop will take place via Zoom; please register here. Upon registering you will receive an email with the Zoom meeting link and password.

Please contact Renee Burke with any questions.

If you are an F-1 student completing your degree in May 2022, now is the time for you to start the F-1 Post-Completion OPT application process.

Applying for OPT is a two step process. First, you must submit an OPT request to the HIO in order to obtain an OPT recommendation I-20. The HIO will start accepting OPT applications as of Monday, February 7, 2022. The HIO will begin emailing OPT I-20s to students as of Monday, February 28, 2022, along with instructions for the second step of the process: filing your OPT application with USCIS.

You are not required to have a job offer to apply for OPT and you are encouraged to apply for OPT as early as possible.  OPT applications may take 3-5 months to process by USCIS. Please note that you are still permitted to travel in and out of the U.S. while your OPT application is pending with USCIS until the completion date listed on your I-20. 

To apply for OPT, please review this information and take the following steps:    

• You must be physically present in the U.S. in F-1 student status at the time of application;
• Review the HIO’s OPT Website in full; look under How To Apply;
• Prepare the HIO OPT Date Verification Form;
• Attend a virtual OPT Application Webinar or workshop hosted by your HIO advisor;
• Electronically submit your OPT materials to the HIO by completing the HIO OPT Request Form. You will receive via a secure email an electronically signed OPT I-20 along with links to instructions to assist you in e-filing your final application with USCIS. 

If you were present in the United States (U.S.) during any part of calendar year 2021 in any immigration status other than B or WT/WB (ESTA), there is at least one tax form (IRS Form 8843) you must file with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) this spring. Below is what you should consider in preparation for the coming tax filing season. If you were not in the U.S. at all during 2021, you do not need to complete any tax forms at this year.

• Review the HIO Tax FAQ and Tax Filing Overview for background on the U.S. tax system and tax filing deadline dates for 2021. 
• The HIO licenses a software called Sprintax, which will assist all tax nonresidents with their federal and state tax filing. Current students, scholars, and student interns may log in to use Sprintax using their Harvard key. The cost for federal U.S. filings are covered by the Harvard license. State filings for all 50 U.S. states can be done using Sprintax for an additional fee, listed here.
• All current students, scholars, and student interns at Harvard will receive an email from the HIO in mid-late February providing additional information and instructions to access the Sprintax tax preparation software.
• If you are no longer an active student or scholar at Harvard and need to file taxes for 2021, please contact the HIO via email (internationaloffice@harvard.edu) in late February to request a unique access code to use Sprintax.

This season, Sprintax will be hosting a series of free open tax webinars to provide helpful information around nonresident tax filing obligations. You can find the details and registration links on the HIO's Tax Filing Overview page.

If you are planning on traveling internationally over the upcoming school breaks, please check to ensure that you have all required immigration documents necessary to re-enter the U.S. with. 

If you need a travel signature on your Form I-20 or DS-2019, please review the applicable instructions below. Please note, the HIO will be closed for Thanksgiving break Wednesday, November 23 through Friday, November 25.

• F-1 students may request a travel signature to be sent via email by completing the F-1 Travel Signature Request Form.
• 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 - 1pm on the 8th floor of the Smith Center to obtain a travel signature.
• Beginning November 2nd, the HIO will be hosting travel signature hours in the Longwood area for students, student interns, and scholars to obtain a travel signature or to pick up documents from the HIO. An HIO Advisor will be available every other Wednesday, beginning November 2nd, from 1:00pm - 3:00pm in Gordon 006 (at the HMS/HSDM Office for Postdoctoral Fellows - see map). The full schedule may be found here. 

For more information on contacting the HIO, please see Contact Us.

Effective January 1, 2022, President Biden rescinded the presidential proclamation restricting entry to the U.S. for non-U.S. citizens who were physically present in the following countries in the 14 days prior to their entry to the U.S.: the Republic of Botswana, the Kingdom of Eswatini, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Malawi, the Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Namibia, the Republic of South Africa, and the Republic of Zimbabwe.

Students and scholars located in the above mentioned countries will be allowed to travel directly to the U.S. as of January 1, 2022. Please ensure that you have the required documents for travel.

We are thrilled that members of the classes of 2020 and 2021 are welcome back to campus for an unforgettable and joyous Commencement on May 29, 2022.

Any graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021 who are not currently located in the U.S. on F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT), STEM OPT, J-1 Academic Training, or any other visa status, will need to travel to the U.S. on a B-1/B-2 visitor visa or visa waiver program (ESTA) for the purpose of attending the Commencement. Please see the website of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your home country for more information if you need to apply for a B-1/B-2 visa stamp.

If you are no longer an enrolled student at Harvard you are not eligible for University visa sponsorship for an F-1 or J-1 student visa. There are no specific visa documents, e.g. an F-1 Form I-20 or J-1 Form DS-2019, with which to apply for a B-1/B-2 visa. The B-1/B-2 visa is a personal application that does not require documentation from the Harvard International Office.

We hope that international students, scholars, and student interns are settling in to campus well for the start of the term. If you are in need of talking with your HIO advisor, please review the resources below to get in touch with the HIO:

• Connecting with an HIO Advisor through daily virtual advisor on call sessions (for quick questions only)
• Contacting your HIO advisor directly via email or phone
• Making an appointment for a virtual 1:1 meeting with your HIO advisor
• Emailing internationaloffice@harvard.edu
• F-1 students may request a travel signature to be sent via email by completing the F-1 Travel Signature Request Form.
• Limited walk-in services are available for J-1 DS-2019 travel signatures and document pickup only in the Smith Center. This service is not intended for advising questions or HIO registration. If you need a travel signature or a replacement document, please review the applicable instructions on the Contact Us page.

On October 25, 2021, President Biden issued Presidential Proclamation 10294 rescinding the geographic COVID-19 travel bans and adopting COVID-19 vaccination requirements for all international air travelers to the U.S., with limited exceptions. The proclamation will go into effect on November 8, 2021.

National Interest Exemptions (NIEs) will no longer be needed for noncitizens who were physically present in any of the 33 countries (identified in earlier travel restriction proclamations) during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the U.S.

With limited exceptions, travelers will be required to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their vaccination before boarding a plane to the U.S, in addition to proof of a negative COVID-19 test. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed that for purposes of travel to the U.S., vaccines approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or on the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency use listed (EUL) vaccines will be accepted. Please refer to the CDC website for the list of accepted COVID-19 vaccines and how to confirm you are fully vaccinated to travel to the U.S.

Please refer to the CDC website to confirm you have the required COVID-19 vaccination and testing documentation to travel to the U.S., on or after November 8^th. Please also see the FAQs and list of exemptions to the requirement on the CDC website.