As President Garber shared in his message this afternoon (see below), the District Court has granted Harvard’s motion for a temporary restraining order as the University begins its legal challenge to the federal government’s unlawful and unwarranted action. While the move to strip Harvard of its SEVP status is paused for now, I am writing to acknowledge how devastating this would be for our international students and scholars, and for our whole community.
This moment is unprecedented in the history of American higher education, and this is a rapidly evolving situation. As such, there are many, many questions for which we, currently, simply don’t have answers. As the University’s legal case proceeds and more information becomes available, updated guidance will be provided, as appropriate, in real time.
In the meantime, the Harvard International Office is currently expanding the resources on their website. As you can imagine, HIO is receiving a massive surge of inquiries from concerned students and families. They are doing their best to manage the increased caseload while still handling emergency situations, such as issues for Harvard affiliates traveling on Harvard-sponsored visas. HIO guidance on international travel can be found here.
This action strikes at the heart of our academic mission. As a global academic community, Harvard draws remarkable students and scholars from around the world to our teaching and research programs. They bring with them new perspectives, new questions, and new approaches that have, over our long history, helped make Harvard the dynamic learning environment it is. Most importantly, this federal action would callously disrupt individual lives. And we must also acknowledge that to remove these individuals deprives all of us of the benefit of their contributions to campus discourse and to our academic mission.
This is an important time to support one another, as I know so many already are. Thank you for all you are doing for our students and colleagues.
Sincerely,
Hopi
Hopi Hoekstra
Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
C. Y. Chan Professor of Arts and Sciences
Xiaomeng Tong and Yu Chen Professor of Life Sciences
Dear Members of the Harvard Community,
As I wrote earlier this morning, we filed a complaint and a motion for a temporary restraining order today to stop the federal government from revoking Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and stripping the University of its authority to sponsor F and J visas for international students and scholars for the 2025-26 academic year.
The court has granted Harvard’s motion, allowing the University to continue enrolling international students and scholars as the case proceeds. A hearing has been set for next Thursday, May 29, to determine whether the temporary order should be extended.
This is a critical step to protect the rights and opportunities of our international students and scholars, who are vital to the University’s mission and community. Many among us are likely to have additional concerns and questions. Important updates and guidance will continue to be provided by the Harvard International Office as they become available.
Sincerely,
Alan M. Garber