New Students and Scholars: COVID-19 and Your I-20 or DS-2019
Thursday, April, 2nd, 2020 COVID-19 Immigration
Your Form I-20 or DS-2019 and COVID-19
[Updated April 2, 2020]
Dear New International Students and Scholars:
Congratulations on receiving a Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 visa document from Tufts University. These visa documents are needed in order to apply for an F-1 student or J-1 exchange visitor visa. Please consult the information you received with your visa document, as well as our web site, for more information about the visa application and arrival process.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Travel Delays
As of April 2020, the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is continuing to have major, widespread impact on international travel and US visa processes. Because of the unprecedented uncertainty created by the pandemic, please be aware that your ability to arrive at Tufts University in the summer or fall for your anticipated program start date may be subject to sudden or unexpected delays. The program start dates indicated on your Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 are based on anticipated start dates under normal program conditions. If required, and depending on the situation and circumstances, your program start date may be subject to delay, depending on the status of the US visa appointment system (see below), international travel restrictions, airline flight availability, and related factors. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we collectively work to respond to the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The International Center, along with other units and offices at Tufts, are monitoring COVID-19 related travel and visa issues closely. We will update this page and reach out to individual students and scholars as necessary as updated information becomes available.
US Visa Operations Temporarily Suspended as of March 2020
As of March 20, 2020, routine US visa services have been temporarily suspended at all US consulates and embassies worldwide. Even with Form I-20 or DS-2019, you will not be able to secure a visa at the present time. Note: Canadian citizens are generally not required to apply for visas.
Depending on your local US consulate's operations, you may be able to schedule a visa appointment for a future date, once you have received your Form I-20 or DS-2019 and paid the required I-901 SEVIS Fee. Consult the web site of your local US consulate for more information about visa appointment availability. Visa appointments, once scheduled, may be changed depending on when your consulate is ready to resume normal operations and whether they are able to expedite processing of F-1 and J-1 visa applications,.
Please contact the International Center at internationalcenter@tufts.edu if you have additional questions. We hope in the meantime that you will each remain healthy and safe during these unpredictable times.
Sincerely,
Tufts International Center