Harvard International Office

The HIO will be expanding virtual advising services specifically for the Spring 2023 OPT application season.

An HIO advisor will be available to answer general questions about the OPT and STEM OPT application process on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3pm to 4pm beginning on Friday, February 3, 2023 and running through Friday, March 17, 2023 (excluding the President’s Day Holiday on February 20, 2023). This service is offered via Zoom an a first come, first-serve basis, and is intended for international students with quick questions.

View the Zoom information here.

If you are an F-1 student completing your degree in May 2023, 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 to obtain an OPT recommendation I-20. The HIO will start accepting OPT applications as of Monday, February 6, 2023. The HIO will begin emailing OPT I-20s to students as of Monday, February 27, 2023, 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;
• Watch the HIO’s OPT Instructional Video;
• 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. 

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 electronic form. 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 can 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. 

• You may request a travel signature to be sent via email by completing the Travel Signature Request Form. If you have dependents, you do not need to submit a separate request for their document's signatures; all forms I-20 and DS-2019 will be issued and sent to you automatically.
• Alternatively, you may come to 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.