Proof of Full COVID Vaccination Required to Enter the US

October 25th, 2021 in Fall 2024 Workshops

On October 25, 2021, President Biden issued A Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic which changes COVID-related travel restrictions for nonimmigrants entering the US. Effective 12:01am EST on November 8, 2021, the geographic travel ban restrictions will be replaced with a requirement for all nonimmigrants traveling to the US by air from any part of the world, establish that they are fully vaccinated. All air travelers will also continue to be required to show results of a negative coronavirus test performed within 24 hours preceding their flight’s departure.

These restrictions apply to air travelers to the US and does not affect visa issuance. Therefore, it implies that international students and scholars who are not fully vaccinated should still initiate a visa application at a US Consular post and can be approved for a visa with the understanding that they will need to be fully vaccinated to board a plane and travel to the US.

See CDC COVID travel FAQs and the NAFSA page on travel and visas during COVID for updated information.

Exceptions permitted by the Director of CDC articulated in the Presidential Proclamation include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Noncitizens for whom a COVID-19 vaccination is medically contraindicated
• Noncitizens for whom a COVID-19 vaccination exempt for humanitarian or emergency reasons
• Any noncitizen or group of noncitizens whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their designees
• Noncitizens for whom a COVID-19 vaccination is inappropriate based on age
• Citizens of a foreign country where the availability of COVID-19 vaccination is limited so they can be vaccinated in the US within 60 days

In addition, the Proclamation provides a limited exception to the vaccination requirement to citizens of foreign countries where the availability of COVID-19 vaccination is limited, provided they seek to enter the US pursuant to any nonimmigrant visa other than, a B-1 or B-2 visitor visa. The proclamation charges the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the CDC, with maintaining a list of countries where vaccination availability is less than 10 percent of the country’s total population or countries otherwise determined by the Director of the CDC to qualify as countries where the availability of COVID-19 vaccination is limited.

NOTE: According to CDC FAQs, there are no exceptions under the Presidential Proclamation for religious reasons or other moral convictions.

Acceptable Vaccines and the Meaning of Fully Vaccinated

The Proclamation charges the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the CDC, with implementing the proclamation as it applies to the public health components of the proclamation which including defining acceptable COVID-19 vaccines or combinations of accepted COVID-19 vaccines, and medical contraindications.

The CDC is also charged with defining whether an individual is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and for specifying acceptable methods of proving that an individual is fully vaccinated for purposes of this proclamation. In general, a fully vaccinated individual is defined as someone who completed vaccinations at least 2 weeks ago. See the CDC FAQs for specific details.

Entry to the US through land ports from Canada and Mexico (and all ferry, sea and land ports)

The Presidential Proclamation of October 25, 2021 applies only to air travel. However, on October 12, 2021, regarding entry through land POEs at the Canadian and Mexican borders, DHS announced that non-essential travelers who have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and have appropriate documentation to enter the United States will resume in two phases over the next few months. First, on November 8, 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will begin allowing fully vaccinated travelers from Mexico or Canada to enter the US at land and ferry POEs for non-essential reasons. Second, beginning January 21, 2022, CBP will require that all inbound foreign national travelers crossing U.S. land or ferry POEs – whether for essential or non-essential reasons provided they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and have appropriate documentation to enter the US. This will have the effect of partially keeping portions of the current restrictions (in place until January 21, 2022) that limit travel through the land ports of entry and ferry terminals along the United States-Canada and United States-Mexico borders to “essential travel,” which includes, but is not limited to, individuals travel to work and study in the US.

Exemptions to these restrictions in the Presidential Proclamation of October 25, 2021 includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents
• Diplomats, employees of international organizations, and similar

Links to Government Sources

• Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-⁠19 Pandemic
• Fact Sheet: Biden Administration Releases Additional Detail for Implementing a Safer, More Stringent International Air Travel System
• CDC order updated October 25, 2021
• CDC webpage Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test or Documentation of Recovery from COVID-19
• CDC Combined Passenger Disclosure and Attestation that travelers will have to complete in addition to having the documentation to support the attestations
• CDC Global Contact Tracing Order 10-25-2021

Fall 2021 Student Check-In & Enrollment Reminders

August 20th, 2021 in Fall 2024 Workshops

We are excited to welcome students back to campus this fall. Please see instructions below for Fall 2021 check-in procedures. Boston University is required to confirm your enrollment to the Department of Homeland Security through the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) at the start of each semester. We have changed how we will register your SEVIS record this fall so please read this information carefully and contact the ISSO team should you have any questions.

Initial ISSO Check-in

All students who are:

• beginning a new program of study or,
• returning to campus from a leave of absence or,
• travelling to the US for the first time after beginning studies remotely from home country

must complete Initial ISSO check-in remotely through functions on the MyBU Student Portal. You should only complete Initial ISSO check-in after you have entered the US in F-1 student status. We will review your immigration documents and register your record in SEVIS. Please follow our remote check -in procedures as you are not required to report to the ISSO in-person.

SEVIS Registration for Continuing Students

SEVIS registration for continuing students (previously referred to as Semester Verification) will be completed based on your academic registration. You are not required to report to the ISSO in person for check-in.

It is essential that you keep your addresses in Personal Tab on the MyBU Student Portal up to date throughout the fall semester:

• Foreign-Immigration address should reflect your address in your home country
• US-Immigration address should reflect your current US address. If you are living on campus, this address will automatically reflect your BU housing address.

Enrollment

Student immigration regulations require that you enroll full-time each academic semester. For most students, full-time is a minimum of 12 credits. Some graduate student programs may have different full-time equivalents, but you must be certified as a full-time student to maintain your immigration status. F-1 regulations only allow for you to take one class remote or online class towards your 12-credit minimum enrolment requirement so you must enroll in at least 8 credits of in-person coursework. See more details on maintaining student immigration status.

If it is your last semester and you need less than 12 credits to graduate, you should request a Reduced Course Load from ISSO at the start of the semester.

On-Campus Employment

Immigration regulations allow international students to work on-campus up to 20 hours per week during the regular semester. You can read more about being hired to work on-campus on the ISSO website. If you have not worked on-campus before, you will need to complete an I-9 Employment Eligibility Form with ISSO before you begin work.

ISSO will assist international students in completing I-9s to verify employment eligibility for on-campus employment. In order to complete the process, international students will need to do the following:

1. Find a job on campus or with a qualified institutional affiliate. On-Campus employment includes service based graduate financial awards (Research Assistantship, Teaching Fellowship, Stipend, or others)
2. Register for a full course of study.
3. Know the conditions and hours of employment of your work permission.
4. Complete section 1 of the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form. If you are in F-1 status, please follow the guidance on how to complete section 1 of the I-9 form.
5. Review additional details below depending on whether you are a new or continuing student.

New Students:

• If you are a new student to BU, you will be required to complete Initial ISSO check-in as a new student. Be sure to indicate during the check-in process that you have been offered an on-campus job.
• If you are a new student to BU and have already completed your new student check-in and have since found a job on-campus, please follow the directions provided below for continuing students.
• Your I-9 will be processed within 3 business days from the date you complete section 1 based on the documents you submitted via your Initial ISSO check-in.

Continuing Students:

• Once you have completed section 1 of the I-9, send an email to issostu1@bu.edu and include the following:
  • Your Name and BUID number
  • Your first day of employment – the day you begun or will begin to work on-campus
  • The first time you entered the US in F-1 status
  • A copy of your most recent I-94 (not the history page). You can retrieve your most recent I-94 from the US Custom and Border Protection website.
  • A copy of your most recent I-20 document if you are in F-1 status
• Your I-9 will be processed within 3 business days from the date you complete section 1 and we receive your email with the requested dates and I-94 record.
• If you do not have a Social Security Number, you will need to apply for one after you secure a job. Some Social Security Offices remain closed to walk-in traffic due to COVID-19, but you can review details of how you can apply for an SSN on our interim COVID-19 FAQs page.

Fall 2021 ISSO Services

Visit our Menu of Services to for the latest ISSO procedures. Zoom with our virtual Advisor-On-Call to ask quick questions or schedule a virtual appointment with your advisor for a more detailed conversation!

Travel from India to the US restricted due to COVID

May 3rd, 2021 in Fall 2024 Workshops

President Biden signed a Presidential Proclamation restricting travel to the US from India effective 12:01am on May 4, 2021 for any nonimmigrants physically present in India during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry to the United States.

The Department of State announced that F-1 students travelling from India on, or August 1, 2021, will automatically qualify for a National Interest Exception (NIE) provided they have a valid F-1 visa.

All other nonimmigrants seeking to enter the US from India will need to demonstrate eligibility for an individual waiver from a US consular post. See ISSO website for more details regarding COVID related travel restriction and waivers.

USDOS Expands COVID Travel Ban Waivers for F-1 Students

April 26th, 2021 in Fall 2024 Workshops, Featured

The US Department of State expanded eligibility for National Interest Exceptions (NIEs) from the COVID travel bans to include F-1 students travelling to the US from China, Iran, Brazil, or South Africa, if their academic program begins August 1, 2021 or later. F-1 students travelling to the US from the UK, Ireland and the Schengen countries continue to qualify for waivers from the COVID travel restrictions. This exemption from the 14-day COVID travel ban should be applied automatically to any F-1 student who is in the possession of a valid F-1 visa. See below for more details:

• F-1 students travelling to the US from China, Iran, Brazil, or South Africa who already have a valid F-1 visa, and are intending to begin, or continue an academic program commencing August 1, 2021 or later, do not need to contact an embassy or consulate to seek an individual NIE to travel. They may seek to enter the US with a valid passport, F-1 visa and I-20, no earlier than 30 days before the start of their academic studies.
• F-1 students travelling to the US from China, Iran, Brazil, or South Africa who do not have a valid F-1 visa, should follow instructions from the website of the nearest US Embassy or Consulate to either renew an expired F-1 visa or schedule an appointment to apply for a new F-1 visa.
• F-1 students travelling to the US from the UK, Ireland and the Schengen countries can continue to seek entry the US with a valid passport, F-1 visa and I-20.
• It is unclear how this new announcement will impact F-1 students seeking to enter the US during a period of approved OPT or STEM OPT.

All students are encouraged to refer to the current ISSO travel advisory for more details, check their immigration documentation carefully and contact their ISSO advisor should they have specific questions.

International Students & Scholars Office: Summer Travel Reminder and Fall 2021 Considerations

April 12th, 2021 in Fall 2024 Workshops

We hope this message finds you well! ISSO would like to provide you with a few important updates and reminders as we look forward to the Fall semester. We appreciate that many of you are already outside of the US, and those of you who have remained in the US might be considering summer travel.

Travel Advisory – for students currently in the US considering international travel over the summer

Travel remains very challenging due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Any international travel at this time comes with significant risk. We recommend that you review our Current Travel Advisory for important reminders if you are considering international travel over the summer. If you must travel and your visa has expired, you should be prepared for significant delays and backlogs at US Embassies/Consulates around the world. It is important that you consider all of these factors to ensure that you can return to campus for the Fall semester.

Travel Considerations – for students studying LfA from outside of the US

Travel remains very challenging due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend that you review our Current Travel Advisory as you plan your return to campus. As you are likely aware, if your visa has expired, you may face significant delays in scheduling a visa appointment at a US Embassies/Consulates. You should look at the website of the Embassy/Consulate where you plan to apply for your visa for updated instructions regarding visa renewal. Make sure you have appropriate documentation needed to return to the US.

Fall 2021 Considerations

With President Brown’s announcement of a return to residential education, you should be making plans to be on campus this Fall. Interim COVID-related SEVP flexibility with SEVIS records ends once BU returns to normal operations. To help you understand how this might affect you as you are considering Summer travel and Fall enrollment options, we encourage you to review the recording of our Q&A Session:

Watch Now

ISSO’s Menu of Remote Services and FAQs

ISSO remains available to assist you with your immigration, employment and travel questions. You can visit our Menu of Remote Services to learn how to contact us. You can also contact your ISSO advisor if you have specific questions, and you can schedule an appointment with your ISSO advisor if you have more detailed questions. ISSO continues to experience a high volume of inquires, so appointments may not be available immediately and it may take your advisor a few days to respond to your e-mail inquires. We appreciate your patience. We also suggest that you review our FAQs and Travel Considerations page, as it will address many common questions we are receiving, including detailed instructions on how to request a Travel Signature.

The staff of the ISSO hope that you are safe, healthy, and are having a productive semester, and we wish you an enjoyable summer.

The Staff of the ISSO

We Must Welcome International Students Again

March 4th, 2021 in Fall 2024 Workshops

BU President Robert Brown and NYU President Andrew Hamilton author an article in INSIDE HIGHER ED urging more support from the Biden administration in welcoming back international students to American campuses.

Spring 2021 Workshop Schedule

February 1st, 2021 in Fall 2024 Workshops

The ISSO is pleased to announce our spring workshop schedule on topics including on-campus employment, applying for Optional Practical Training, and Interviewing in the U.S.

For complete workshop dates, locations and session descriptions, see our calendar. Additional dates may be added during the semester.

All workshops will be offered virtually via Zoom.  Please register using the link for an individual workshop.  Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with instructions for how to access the session.

Featured Workshops with visiting attorneys:

Immigration Considerations for Life after F-1

Prasant Desai - Iandoli Desai & Cronin P.C

• Are you interested in staying in the United States to work after your F-1 Optional Practical Training ends?
• Are you considering applying to begin a US Lawful Permanent Resident?
• Session will highlight post-F-1 visa options for those interested in living and working in the United States.

Thursday, February 25^th, 5:30 pm [Register here]

Location: Zoom

Immigration Considerations for Entrepreneurs and Self-Employment

Elizabeth Goss - Goss Associates

• Are you interested in starting a company or working for a start-up?
• What entrepreneur activities require employer authorization?
• Session will highlight nonimmigrant visas options to support these activities

Tuesday, March 23^rd, 5:30 pm [Register here]

Location: Zoom

New for 2021!

U.S. Tax Filing: Information webinars with Sprintax

Join Sprintax representatives for an information webinar covering the following information:

• An overview of tax for nonresident students and scholars
• Who must file a 2020 US tax return
• What income forms students/scholars may receive
• Forms that need to be completed and sent to the IRS
• We cover terms like FICA, ITIN and Form 1098-T
• What happens if students don’t file, or misfile
• State tax returns
• IRS stimulus payments
• Sprintax overview

Location: Webinar (only register for one session)

Friday, March 5^th, 9:00 am [Register here]

Wednesday, March 31^st, 6:00 pm [Register here]

          Tuesday, April 27^th, 11:00 am [Register here]

Workshops in collaboration with the BU Center for Career Development:

Interviewing in the USA: A Career Workshop

Join staff from the ISSO and the Center for Career Development (CCD) for a program designed to help international students understand the job search process in the U.S. Sharpen your interviewing techniques by bringing your strengths as an international student to the table. This workshop will help you familiarize yourself with the intricacies of the U.S. interview process while learning how to best assess your skills and international experience to answer "difficult" interview questions.

Tuesday, February 23^rd, 8:00 am [Register with the CCD here]

Location: Zoom

Thursday, March 4^th, 4:00 pm [Register with the CCD here]

Location: Zoom

Global Job and Internship Search for International Students

Learn how to find internships and/or full-time jobs both internationally and in the US. We will start with the mechanics of preparing for the search including knowing yourself and your targeted audience. We will review resources for searching both here and abroad and various strategies to enhance your search process including social media. This session will be presented by CCD staff.

Tuesday, February 2^nd, 8:00 am [Register with the CCD here]

Location: Zoom

US resume versus International CV for International Students

Learn the difference between a resume and a CV in the US and begin to convert your international CV to a US resume format. This session will be presented by CCD staff.

Wednesday, January 27^th, 5:00 pm [Register with the CCD here]

Location: Zoom

Networking for International Students

Leverage your connections in the US and at home to enhance your global job or internship search. This session will be presented by CCD staff.

Tuesday, February 16^th, 8:00 am [Register with the CCD here]

Location: Zoom

Internship Search for International Students

The Center for Career Development and the International Students and Scholars Office invite you to join us to learn how to prepare and search for internships specifically for international students.  This workshop will include information about OPT and CPT eligibility and other concerns.

Tuesday, February 11^th, 4:00 pm [Register with the CCD here]

Location: Zoom

ISSO general immigration workshops:

Summer Internships: CPT and pre-OPT

It’s not too early to begin planning for a summer internship. This workshop covers F-1 student employment authorization options for off-campus work and internships including: Curricular Practical Training (CPT), Pre-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT), Employment through designated International Organizations

Friday, February 19^th, 10:00 am  [Register here]

Location: Zoom

F-1 OPT: Application Basics

This workshop covers topics for students preparing to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), including eligibility factors and timing of application, considerations for travel and employment, and tips for preparing and mailing the OPT application.

Friday, February 5^th, 9:00 am [Register here]

Thursday, February 11^th, 6:00 pm [Register here]

Tuesday, March 2^nd, 9:00 am [Register here]

Monday, March 15^th, 5:00 pm [Register here]

Friday, April 2^nd, 9:00 am [Register here]

Thursday, April 22^nd, 4:30 pm [Register here]

Wednesday, May 12^th, 4:00 pm [Register here]

Friday, June 4^th, 9:00 am [Register here]

All workshops will be virtual via Zoom

F-1 OPT: Application Q&A Sessions

ISSO has made our OPT Basics workshop available on-demand!  These Q&A sessions are for students who would prefer to watch the OPT Basics workshop on their own, and then ask ISSO Advisors the questions that they still have after watching the workshop.  Q&A sessions will not have a formal presentation, so you MUST watch the on-demand workshop prior to attending.  When you watch the workshop, please note questions that you have and bring those with you to one of our Q&A sessions!

Thursday, February 18^th, 4:00 pm [Register here]

Tuesday, April 6^th, 4:00 pm [Register here]

All workshops will be virtual via Zoom

F-1 STEM OPT: Application Basics

This workshop is designed for students who have already submitted an application for Optional Practical Training (OPT) and who may already be working on OPT. Covers advanced OPT topics including an overview of STEM OPT, allowing OPT extensions for certain Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.  After this workshop, students should be prepared to apply for the STEM OPT extension.

Friday, March 5^th, 4:00 pm [Register here]

Tuesday, April 27^th, 9:00 am [Register here]

All workshops will be virtual via Zoom

F-1 STEM OPT Extension: Application Q&A Sessions

ISSO has made our STEM OPT Extension workshop available on-demand!  These Q&A sessions are for students who would prefer to watch the STEM OPT workshop on their own, and then ask ISSO Advisors the questions that they still have after watching the workshop.  Q&A sessions will not have a formal presentation, so you MUST watch the on-demand workshop prior to attending.  When you watch the workshop, please note questions that you have and bring those with you to one of our Q&A sessions!

Thursday, March 25^th, 8:30 am [Register here]

All workshops will be virtual via Zoom

J-1 Academic Training: Application Basics

This workshop is intended for Boston University-sponsored Exchange Visitors who wish to apply for employment or training permission either during or at the end of their academic program. The workshop will cover the application process for J-1 Academic Training (AT), including establishing eligibility and suitable training opportunities.

Thursday, March 18^th, 2:00 pm [Register here]

Location: Zoom

Travel from South Africa restricted due to COVID beginning January 30, 2021

January 26th, 2021 in Fall 2024 Workshops

Travel to the US within 14 days from South Africa will be banned effective January 30, 2021 at 12:01am. South Africa is the latest country to be added to the COVID-related travel restrictions that continue to ban travel to the US from China, Brazil, Iran, 26 Schengen countries, Ireland and the United Kingdom. COVID related travel bans were reconfirmed in a Presidential Proclamation on January 25, 2021. Please refer to the ISSO news post for a list of countries, specific language of the bans as well as details regarding limited exceptions.

Department of Labor Publishes H-1B and Wage Rule…again

January 14th, 2021 in Fall 2024 Workshops

On January 20, 2021, the White House issued a memorandum freezing all regulations that have no yet gone into effect for at least 60 days for the purposes of reviewing any questions or fact, law and policy the rules may raise.

On January 14, 2021, the DOL published a final rule to raise the minimum prevailing wages for employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant petitions. This is a slightly new version of the rule initially published on October 8, 2020 which was subsequently set aside by the court on December 1, 2021, is scheduled to go into effect on March 15, 2021. The final rule contains lower calculations than initially published in the previous version and outlines a plan to phase the higher wages in over the next 18-months.

There is widespread anticipation that this rule will be extended by the new Biden Administration and that there will be new legal challenges to this rule so it implementation is uncertain. The ISSO will continue to monitor the situation and update the community as more details are available.

COVID Test Required for Air Travel to the US Beginning January 26, 2021

January 13th, 2021 in Fall 2024 Workshops

Effective January 26, 2021, all travelers entering the United States via air transportation must document proof of a negative viral COVID test within 72 hours of their departure. See the announcement and FAQs on the Centers for Disease Control website. International students and scholars returning to the US are encouraged to check with their specific airline carrier for details regarding documentary evidence requirements.

COVID-related travel restrictions that ban travel within 14 days to the US from China, Brazil, Iran, 26 Schengen countries, Ireland and the United Kingdom were restated by a January 25, 2021 Presidential Proclamation. Effective, January 30, 2021, travel will also be restricted from South Africa. Please refer to the ISSO news post for a list of countries, specific language of the bans as well as details regarding limited exceptions.

All travelers should also pay special attention to Back2BU for latest updates and information about BU’s response to COVID-19 and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts quarantine requirements for anyone traveling from out of state/country.