If you are planning on traveling internationally over the winter break, please check to ensure that you have all required immigration documents necessary to re-enter the U.S. 

If you need a travel signature on your Form I-20 or DS-2019, please review the applicable instructions below.

• F-1 students or J-1 students and scholars may request a travel signature to be sent via email by completing the Travel Signature Request Form.
• You may also:
  • Visit the HIO for a travel signature during our walk in travel signature hours, which take place Monday - Friday from 12pm - 2pm on the 8th floor of the Smith Campus Center.
  • The HIO also hosts travel signature hours in the Longwood area for students, student interns, and scholars. An HIO Advisor will be available every other Wednesday 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.

If you were present in the United States (U.S.) during any part of calendar year 2022 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 2022, you do not need to complete any tax forms at this year.

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. 

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. 

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.