To Our International Students:
We write today to make sure you are aware of federal changes to international travel requirements that take effect Monday, Nov. 8.
Last week President Joe Biden issued a proclamation that lifts blanket bans on travel from certain countries and instead applies consistent standards expected of travelers entering the U.S.—including specific requirements for those who are “non-citizen nonimmigrants.”
The proclamation indicates that travelers in this category—which includes F-1 and J-1 student visa holders—must be fully vaccinated to enter this country, with some limited exceptions.
For the purposes of these new standards, ‘fully vaccinated’ means that non-citizen nonimmigrants have received the complete dosage of vaccines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization—as well as those whose effectiveness has been confirmed by an independent body—at least two weeks earlier. These include vaccines from: Moderna, Pfizer, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca/Oxford, Covishield, BIBP/Sinopharm, and Sinovac.
Proof of such vaccination will be required—and a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of travel—before boarding an international flight into the U.S.
Those who may be excepted from the vaccine requirement are those who can prove that they are: under 18 years of age; have medical contraindications for vaccines; are coming to the U.S. for emergency or humanitarian reasons; and/or coming from countries with exceptionally low vaccine availability, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Unvaccinated individuals permitted to enter the U.S. because of an exception still must provide a proof of a negative COVID-19 test, but within just one day of travel.
If you have doubts about your ability to return to our campus based on this proclamation or other factors, we urge you to consider staying in the U.S. to reduce the risk of disrupting your education at CWRU. If you are an undergraduate student who wishes to remain in on-campus housing during Winter Break, please email housing@case.edu for more information.
We appreciate that these requirements can feel complex, and that you may have questions about them. For questions relating to vaccination itself, please first visit the CDC webpage regarding the President’s proclamation. If you still have vaccination questions, please email the university at covidvaccine@case.edu.
Please know that International Student Services continues to closely monitor federal developments and will update you as additional information becomes available. For now, if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to ISS by phone at 216.368.2517 or by email.
Best Regards,
Marielena
Marielena Maggio, M.A.
Director, International Student Services, PDSO & ARO