What's New

February 1, 2020
Preparing for Tax Season 2019

If you were present in the United States (U.S.) during any part of calendar year 2019 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 2019, you do not need to complete any tax forms this year.

  • Review the HIO Tax FAQ and additional tax preparation resources, including tax filing deadlines for 2019.
  • 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 or scholar at Harvard and need to file taxes for 2019, please contact your HIO Advisor in late February to request a unique discount code to use Sprintax.
January 31, 2020
New Travel Ban Suspends Immigrant Visa Issuance to Six Countries

On January 31, 2020 a new Presidential Proclamation expanded the travel ban to six additional countries.  Only immigrant visas are impacted by this new order – non-immigrant visa (including F, J, H-1B, etc.) issuance and/or travel is not affected.  Starting February 21, 2020 foreign nationals from Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar (Burma), and Nigeria will not be issued most types of immigrant visas.  Under the same order, foreign nationals from Sudan and Tanzania will not be issued Diversity Lottery immigrant visas. Current lawful permanent residents and those holding immigrant visas who have not yet entered the United States are exempt from the proclamation.  Please reach out to your HIO advisor with any questions.

September 4, 2019
Welcome Letter from Harvard President Bacow

Harvard President Lawrence Bacow issued a welcome letter to incoming and returning students, particularly addressing the obstacles and sacrifices many international students and scholars face in obtaining visas and entering the United States.  You may read his entire message to the Harvard community here.

August 27, 2019
Mayor Walsh Welcomes International Students to Boston

With the beginning of the new school year upon us, Mayor of Boston Martin Walsh has issued a letter welcoming international students who have chosen Boston to be their new home in the United States. You may read his welcome letter here.

July 17, 2019
President Bacow in DC on Immigration

President Larry Bacow traveled to Washington, DC this week to meet with members of Congress to discuss a range of University priorities and concerns, including the uncertainties federal immigration policy has created for faculty and students at Harvard and at universities across the nation. Read more

In a related move, Bacow also sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan last week calling on them to expedite the visa and immigration process for foreign students and researchers.

June 24, 2019
USCIS OPT Processing Delays

F-1 students who applied for OPT are facing unprecedented delays in receiving their EADs (employment authorization documents). These delays not only affect our recent graduates and HU hiring departments, but those across the U.S. Without EADs, students have no income and are not permitted to begin working until they get their EADs. They cannot travel outside the U.S. and reenter the U.S. without the EAD. In previous years, OPT applications have taken 60-100 days to be processed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), but the processing time this year is much longer than previous years.  Recent estimates are that OPT processing could take as long as 5.5 months. These delays are part of a bigger problem within USCIS. The General Accountability Office (GAO) will undertake a study in the fall at the urging of Congress to investigate USCIS processing times which have increased by up to 46 percent since Fiscal Year 2016.  We are working with various offices across the University and professional organizations to advocate for our students.  Please feel free to contact your HIO advisor if you have any questions.

March 6, 2019
Fraud Alert

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