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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.