Much has been said about the challenges faced by international students at Harvard, but perhaps the most significant obstacle of all is the visa. The visa, along with the restrictions it carries, can be a significant burden on its holder. However, the difficulty of the process varies greatly depending on the passport you hold.
A visa is a permit to enter the U.S. In the case of international students, a specific type of visa is needed—an F-1 visa—that allows them to study in the U.S. When it comes to obtaining a visa, the experience is not the same for everyone. For some, it is simply a quick errand, a process that does not take more than a few days. For others, it consists of significant waiting times, long commutes, and the uncertainty of approval, rendering the process difficult and stressful.
This was the case of Abdullah Shahid Sial ’27, an international student from Pakistan. He had to drive for five hours to the nearest U.S. consulate after waiting over a month just to secure an appointment for his student visa. While waiting for his interview, Sial observed around 10 people ahead of him whose F-1 visa applications were rejected. “With a Pakistani passport, it is really hard to get a student U.S. visa, you only get it if you get into an Ivy or big brand name school,” Sial said.
Santino Marial ’27, an international student from South Sudan, faced similar challenges in his visa application. Because U.S. visas cannot be processed in his home country, he had to travel to Nairobi, Kenya, for his visa appointment. He also mentioned that getting a visa approved is no small feat. “Most people get their visas denied. If you are at the embassy and you see the people’s visas get approved, you see them celebrating. That’s how you know it’s difficult,” he explained.
However, getting your visa approved is just the beginning of the difficulties that come with being an F-1 visa holder. For instance, visa expiration dates vary from passport to passport. As a Mexican passport holder, my visa expires exactly on the graduation date indicated by the Harvard International Office. After that, I would need to leave the country or adjust my status. On the other hand, some of my European friends have visas that remain valid for a year, or even longer, after graduation, allowing them more opportunities, such as taking a gap semester without the need to apply for a new visa.
There are also some extreme cases, like Marial’s situation. As a South Sudanese passport holder, his visa lasts only three months and allows for just two entries. This means that once his visa is issued, he has only three months to enter the U.S. Once in the U.S., he can only leave and come back one time within those three months. But once that time frame has passed, if he leaves the country, he would need to reapply for a visa to return. According to Marial, reapplying for a visa is more difficult than it seems. This is because not every city has a U.S. consulate and many consulates have long waiting times for appointments. Additionally, the application fee for a student visa is $185, which is nonrefundable—even if the visa is denied.
“I don’t have the mobility, I don’t have the freedom to move outside the U.S. because of that,” Marial said. As a result of these restrictions, Marial is forced to carefully plan when he leaves the country, which for him, is only possible during the summer. However, given the current political climate in the United States, even that may no longer be an option.
Staying away from home for so long is hard, especially during winter break. During this time, the campus is empty, and typically only students with financial or visa constraints stay. It can be a difficult time to spend the winter season, which is typically seen as a season to spend with your family, far away from home. It is especially difficult when everyone else around you leaves, the temperatures are below freezing, and the sun doesn’t come out. For students who are completely restricted from returning home because of their visas, college breaks can be an alienating and lonely experience.
With President Trump’s proposal of a travel ban targeting 43 countries, many international students are now hesitant to leave the U.S. This was a concern for Sial as well, who, along with other Harvard international students from Pakistan, is part of the board for the Harvard Pakistan Trek—a peer-led trip to Pakistan during spring break, organized by the Harvard College Pakistani Student Association. Just days before the trip, they received news about the proposed travel ban and spent the days leading right up to departure discussing whether or not to cancel the trip. After much hesitation and stress, they decided to proceed, hoping not to disrupt participants’ spring break plans. Fortunately, they returned without issues, as the travel ban had not yet passed. However, the anxiety surrounding summer travel plans persists.
Marial, however, has already abandoned his summer travel plans. “It’s going to be more difficult for somebody from my country to come in. It’s more risky for me now to leave the U.S. because the current administration can just ban the country and then I would not be able to come back,” he said. He had originally planned to spend his summer in Nairobi, but due to the possibility of the travel bans, he has now decided against it.
In addition to these challenges, international students often face difficulties securing housing during breaks, as Harvard has denied housing in the past. This issue will be especially problematic during the summer, as housing is expected to be extremely limited. Marial himself was denied summer housing last year. For this summer break, it is critical that Harvard addresses these issues and ensures that all international students who need housing have access to it.
In light of recent U.S. politics, international students are not only contending with the usual obstacles but also with the added uncertainty created by the current presidential administration. This climate of unpredictability only exacerbates their struggles. In response to this, the Harvard International Office sent an email regarding international student concerns. The email read: “The Harvard International Office (HIO) has received requests for advice regarding support for our valued international community” so they decided to organize “an information session…for all Harvard international students and scholars who have concerns.”
When I arrived as a first-year and participated in the First-Year International Program as my pre-orientation, they told me being an international student was “like a fifth class.” They said this to mean that it is an extra responsibility that comes with significant extra work and sometimes emotional burden. Now, almost two years later, I see this as true, but more than that: being an international student can be not only a significant burden—but also a big risk.
Frida López ’27 (fridalopezbravo@college.harvard.edu) is hoping international students will not have trouble getting summer housing.