Harvard International Office

If you were present in the United States (U.S.) during any part of 2020 calendar year 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. We recommend reviewing the information below in preparation for the coming tax filing season. If you were not in the U.S. at all during 2020, you do not need to complete any tax forms this year.

• Review the HIO's introduction to tax filing in the U.S. and HIO Tax FAQ  to familiarize yourself with the process, including tax filing deadlines for 2020.
• All current students, scholars, and student interns at Harvard will receive an email from the HIO in mid-late February providing additional information, instructions, and discounted access to use the Sprintax tax preparation software.
• If you are no longer an active student, scholar, or student intern at Harvard and need to file taxes for 2020, please email the HIO (internationaloffice@harvard.edu) in late February to request a unique discount code to use Sprintax.

As of January 26, 2021, all air passengers entering the U.S. will be required to comply with the following COVID-19 safety measures in order to board a flight to the U.S.:

• show proof of a negative viral COVID-19 test within the 3 days before their flight to the U.S. departs;
• complete a seven-day quarantine when a passenger arrives in the U.S.;
• and take another COVID-19 test 3-5 days after arriving.

Full details may be found on the CDC website. This order is backed by President Biden, who signed an executive order on January 21, 2021, requiring all air travelers to comply with these CDC measures. 

Until January 26, 2021, only travelers from the UK are required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test to board a flight to the U.S. You may read more on the CDC website for “Testing Requirements for Arriving UK Air Travelers”.  

In addition to these requirements, please keep in mind that all travelers arriving in Massachusetts must also complete the MA COVID Travel Form prior to arrival in the state. Students and scholars should also make sure they have the required documents to enter the U.S. with. 

Harvard's President Lawrence Bacow has written a letter to U.S. President-elect Joseph Biden to advocate for policies that will benefit Harvard's international community. The letter advocates in favor of U.S. Embassies prioritizing visa issuance for international students and scholars, preserving immigration programs such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and overturning executive orders and presidential proclamations put into place by President Trump, including the Muslim travel ban. 

You may view the letter in its entirely on the Harvard Gazette. 

As winter break approaches, we want to remind students and scholars that the University strongly discourages personal travel, both international and domestic. Travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. For the foreseeable future, the global pandemic will continue to affect the safety and feasibility of travel. In addition to lowering the risk of coronavirus transmission on campus and helping ensure the health and safety of the Harvard community, the University also seeks to slow the worldwide spread of COVID-19.

If you have personal reasons that require you to travel, you must speak to your HIO Advisor before making any travel arrangements. 

If you do make the decision to travel, you must confirm that you have the required documents for your specific visa type to travel and reenter the United States (U.S.). You must also consider the travel disruptions that may be caused by pandemic, including travel bans and quarantine requirements. For more information on how travel is currently impacted by the pandemic, please review the HIO’s COVID-19 FAQ.

COVID-19 is a fluid situation worldwide and travel guidance and travel bans can change quickly as a result of the pandemic. Please consider all the risks and uncertainties when discussing your proposed travel plans with your HIO Advisor.

Harvard University recently issued guidance for individuals preparing for the upcoming 2020 tax season. Of note, international students and scholars who are receiving income from the University should be aware of certain deadlines and requirements to prepare for tax season:

• Tax Treaty Renewal Deadline for 2021. Per IRS regulations, certain tax treaties must be renewed annually. To meet these requirements, and claim a tax treaty exemption in the calendar year 2021 (if previously determined eligible in 2020), foreign individuals must complete the treaty renewal process before Friday, December 18th, 2020.
• Deadline to Declare new tax treaty benefits for 2020. If GLACIER determines a foreign individual is possibly eligible to claim a new tax treaty exemption for 2020, the completed GLACIER submission must be received by the Nonresident Alien Tax Compliance Office no later than Sunday, November 29th, 2020.
• Update Your Addresses for 2020 Tax Forms. In order to make sure there are no delays in receiving 2020 tax forms, make sure your address is up-to-date or better yet, sign up for electronic delivery if available!
• Report Your Government-Issued Social Security Number (SSN). It is important that government-issued SSNs are submitted to Payroll/Student Services as soon as they are received, if you are earning income from Harvard. If you have not yet applied for an SSN, you should review the HIO instructions to do so now.  

USCIS fee increases, which were set to go into effect on October 2, 2020, have been temporarily suspended by a court order. If you are an F-1 student applying for OPT or STEM OPT, or a J-2 applying for work permission, please note that until further notice you may continue to pay the existing I-765 fee of $410.

Department administrations working on H-1B, O-1, TN, E-3, or green card petitions should be in touch with their HIO Advisors for more information.

As many of you may have heard, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule today to eliminate duration of status (D/S) for F-1 students and their F-2 dependents, and J-1 exchange visitors (including students, researchers/professors, and short-term scholars) and their J-2 dependents.  The proposed rule would eliminate D/S, and individuals entering the U.S. in F or J status would be admitted for a specified length of time with options and procedures for extensions.

Please note that NOTHING has changed yet.  This is a proposed rule.  The public has 30 days to comment on this proposal.  DHS will then consider the comments and publish a final rule with an effective date.  A number of offices around the University are working on analyzing this proposal and will work with colleagues at our peer institutions and professional associations to advocate on behalf of all our international students and scholars.  We will share updated information as soon as possible.

If you are finishing your coursework this fall, and have an I-20 or DS-2019 with an end date in December 2020, it is time to start thinking about U.S. work permission. After your I-20 or DS-2019 completion date, you will need Optional Practical Training/OPT (for F-1 students) or Academic Training/AT (for J-1 students) to remain in the U.S. to work.

If you are an F-1 student, please review our instructions to apply for OPT (under How to Apply). Students should take note that the USCIS OPT fee will increase from $410 to $550 for applications received on or after October 2, 2020. If you will be applying for OPT this fall, please submit your application to the HIO as soon as possible. An HIO Advisor-on-Call will be available via Zoom on Thursdays from 12:00pm -1:00pm Eastern Standard Time for students with Fall OPT application questions. You may find details on this service here. 

If you are a J-1 student, please review our instructions to apply for Academic Training (AT).

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts (MA) has released updated travel guidance for out-of-state visitors.  As this guidance is likely to change as circumstances evolve, you should continue to monitor the requirements until you arrive. 

• Visitors, including residents, must complete the Massachusetts Travel Form prior to arrival, unless you are visiting from a lower-risk state designated by the Department of Public Health.
• Visitors, including residents, must quarantine for 14 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72-hours prior to your arrival in MA.
• Visitors into MA are exempt from the quarantine requirement if they have received a negative result from a COVID-19 test based on a sample obtained not longer than 72 hours before their arrival.
• Failure to comply may result in a $500 fine per day.

Dear Members of the Harvard Community,

I am delighted to report that today the United States government withdrew the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) directive that, among other things, would have prevented international students from staying in the country if they attend institutions that are holding their courses online this fall. This withdrawal has nationwide effect.

This is a significant victory. The directive had disrupted all of American higher education. I have heard from countless international students who said that the July 6 directive had put them at serious risk. These students—our students—can now rest easier and focus on their education, which is all they ever wanted to do. While the government may attempt to issue a new directive, our legal arguments remain strong and the Court has retained jurisdiction, which would allow us to seek judicial relief immediately to protect our international students should the government again act unlawfully. This means we expect that the 2020–2021 academic year will proceed as we have carefully planned, in our effort both to protect the health and safety of our students and others and to ensure that learning can go on in the best possible way under the current unprecedented circumstances.

We are immensely grateful for the widespread support that we and our students have received over the course of the past week. Hundreds of colleges and universities, cities, labor unions, companies, civic organizations, and higher education associations filed amicus briefs in support of the complaint that we filed jointly with MIT. We also received support from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who joined 17 attorneys general from across the United States in filing a similar complaint.

This show of support is heartening. We all recognize the value that international students bring to our campuses, to this nation, and to the world. We recognize, too, that colleges and universities must pursue their educational missions while carefully protecting the health and safety of their students, faculty, and staff. At a time when this pandemic continues to rage, we must continue to act with vigilance, informed by the best available science and with a commitment both to carrying forward the vital enterprise of learning and to safeguarding public health. The ICE directive sought to force each of us to choose between the health of our communities and the education of our international students—a false and dangerous choice which we rejected. In the end, the public overwhelmingly agreed with us, and the government, in response, withdrew its order.

Higher education in the United States seeks and attracts the best and the brightest students from around the world. They strengthen our universities immeasurably, and we aim to provide them with the best education possible—in a virtuous cycle that benefits all of us. Some will seek to stay in this country, thanks to the freedoms and opportunities that they find here. And those who return home will do so enriched by the values we hold dear.

I am grateful to my colleagues across the University who have tirelessly fought to achieve today’s important result. Many worked literally through the night to ensure that justice prevailed. We owe all of them our thanks. I look forward to the day when we can welcome our entire community back to campus. In the meantime, we remain dedicated to our academic mission, and to enabling the best possible education for our students while affirming our deep commitment to the health of people in our own community and beyond.

Sincerely,
Larry