Students in F-1 or J-1 status may have an employer sponsor them for a visa type based on employment, such as an H-1B. This can happen during the time that they are on a Harvard sponsored F-1 Optional Practical Training, STEM OPT or J-1 Academic Training student visa.  

It is crucial that you inform the Harvard International Office of these changes in employment visa type as it can intersect in various ways with your student immigration record.  

An F-1 and J-1 student must inform Harvard about their pending H-1B petition and when it is approved so the HIO can make necessary updates to their SEVIS Record.  This information is not proactively or accurately provided to the HIO, so we exclusively rely on the student to provide this information to our office so that we can ensure that your F-1 or J-1 student record is accurate.   

Questions and Information to Ask Employer about H-1B case  

 When an F-1 or J-1 student on Harvard’s Form I-20 or DS-2019 has an employer filing a new visa type for them, it is important the student informs the HIO about key items on their employer petition. For instance, these are some important questions to ask and understand about the employer’s case.   

• When will the employer petition, like H-1B, be filed?
• How will it be filed – change of status or consular notification?
• Will the petition be filed using expedited/premium processing?
• When does the employer expect the petition to be approved?
• How do I get a copy or the USCIS approval notice?  

Consular Notification H-1Bs:   

It is very important that a student informs the HIO if their H-1B case has been approved for Consular Notification.  Please complete this online form:

Transitioning to H-1B Form. 

International travel is not recommended until this process has been completed. The HIO is not notified automatically of H-1B filings. It is the responsibility of the student to alert the HIO about your H-1B filing by completing the Transitioning to H-1B Form. Failure to do so could result in international travel issues.

Unfortunately, there is a nationwide technical glitch in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) system. The SEVIS system incorrectly defaults to all H-1B cases to Change of Status. The SEVIS system cannot distinguish between H-1B petitions that were submitted as “Changes of Status” vs. those that were submitted via “Consular Notification”. As a result, each year thousands of F-1 and J-1 SEVIS records are incorrectly “completed.”  This glitch impacts travel on F-1 or J-1 status most significantly. 

Luckily, this error can be fixed but only when a student informs the HIO.  

Using the Transitioning to H-1B Form , you need to provide us with the I-797 H-1B Approval Notice in order for the HIO to request a correction of your SEVIS record. The SEVIS Help Desk will not accept a Receipt Notice—it must be the Approval Notice to correct your SEVIS record.    

Change of Status H-1Bs:   

If your employer submitted your H-1B petition as a Change of Status, your F-1 SEVIS record will automatically “complete” as of the start date on your I-797 H-1B Approval Notice. You must complete the final reporting requirements as follows:   

F-1 OPT Students: HIO OPT Reporting

• Select: “I am no longer participating in OPT and need to end my F-1 status I have changed visa status in U.S”   

F-1 STEM OPT Students: End of STEM OPT   

J-1 Academic Training Students: Final Evaluation form  

If you require a Cap Gap I-20 as a result of your Change of Status H-1B, please visit our Cap Gap page for additional information.