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The Harvard International Office advised international students who are concerned about travel restrictions to return to campus prior to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration.
Their annual email to international students acknowledged concerns over “potential changes to immigration policies,” noting updated information on required immigration documents and travel signatures necessary to reenter the United States.
“Since our last message earlier in November, many of you have asked questions about potential changes to immigration policies,” the office wrote. “Our recurring advice to those who share concerns about situations that would disrupt or delay your return from break is to budget time ahead of the semester start, prior to the January Martin Luther King holiday.”
Neither the 2022 nor 2023 “Winter Travel” emails from the HIO noted the holiday as a recommended return date for international students.
In 2025, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday falls on Monday, Jan. 20 — the same day as Trump’s inauguration. Inauguration Day is the first day a president can pass executive orders to achieve their policy agenda.
In 2017, one week following his first inauguration, Trump issued an executive order banning anyone from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
The Harvard International Office also reassured students they would continue to “monitor the situation closely” and would be available to help international students “understand how any potential changes affect your individual circumstances before you make any travel arrangements.”
For Christoffer B. Gernow ’28, a freshman from Denmark, the advice to return early was “somewhat cryptic.”
“I think they’re just addressing people’s fears, not necessarily advising people to go home early,” Gernow said.
Some students, however, saw the email as a clear reference to the incoming Trump administration.
Maria E. Rodrigues Sampaio ’28, a freshman from Brazil, said she believes the HIO’s recommendation is a direct nod to the future president.
“I really don’t see any other reason rather than a new administration,” she said. “Nothing else really changed.”
Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton wrote in a statement that the HIO routinely “provides travel guidance to international students,” particularly “before peak travel periods, including winter break.”
‘While some guidance is routine, the content of those messages and conversations with students and scholars about their individual circumstances can vary depending on relevant issues at the time,” he wrote.
Rodrigues Sampaio said she was “surprised” by the new recommendation, and believes the late guidance left students who have already purchased tickets feeling “powerless.”
“I think a lot of students would have liked to have this notice earlier so maybe they could change their plans,” she said.
The HIO’s Monday email comes after a Nov. 22 email, which acknowledged possible international student concerns in the coming year, but did not recommend students return early.
“As we look ahead to 2025, we recognize that many have questions about potential immigration policies that could impact non-U.S. travelers,” the office wrote in the email.
Rodrigues Sampaio added that she had already decided to return to campus early because of advice from her friends at Amherst College. Her friends shared emails from their college’s administration in November advising that international students return to the U.S. prior to Jan. 20.
“I’m very glad that I have friends to tell me about that,” she said. “Otherwise, I think I would have bought my tickets for after the 20th.”
Other Ivy League universities — including the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, and Brown University — made similar announcements before Harvard’s email recommending students come back to campus prior to Trump’s inauguration.
For some students, Trump’s inauguration and the University’s recommendation did not impact their travel plans or mentality.
Ege Çakar ’27, a sophomore from Turkey, said that the HIO email made him “slightly more aware that something might go wrong.”
He added, however, that he does not expect the Trump presidency to broadly impact international students’ ability to finish their education.
In the short term, Çakar said he plans to keep his flights, returning after the Martin Luther King holiday.
In the November email, the HIO affirmed their “commitment to Harvard’s international student and scholar community,” and described their collaboration with “offices and key stakeholders across the University.”
While Rodrigues Sampaio acknowledged that some people believe travel anxieties “might come from irrational feelings,” she said people should have “respect and empathy” for the fears of international students.
“Respect the feeling of insecurity a lot of people are feeling right now,” she added.
—Staff writer Rachel M. Fields can be reached at rachel.fields@thecrimson.com.
—Staff writer Meghna Mitra can be reached at meghna.mitra@thecrimson.com.
