International Student Worker Assistance Fund
HGSU-UAW International Student Worker Assistance Fund Summary and FAQs
The contract between Harvard University and the Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU-UAW) Local 5118 establishes a fund of $100,000 annually to help defray the costs associated with immigration and maintenance of legal working status within the United States through reimbursements.
Visit the Benefits Overview page to learn about upcoming deadlines.
All applications will open at least 6 weeks before the deadline. Student workers may submit their application for reimbursements here.
Eligibility and Coverage
To be eligible to receive a reimbursement from this Fund, a person must:
- be a student enrolled in a Harvard University degree program at the time the expense is incurred (note that a person on involuntary leave is not considered enrolled for the purposes of this fund); and
- be employed (i.e., have a current appointment covered by the HGSU contract) as a salaried Research Assistant (but not an undergraduate Research Assistant), Teaching Fellow, Instructional Fellow, Pedagogical Fellow, or Course Assistant within the 6-month window in which the expense occurred (January 1-June 30 OR July 1-December 31). If the appointment is for 6 months or less and straddles the two six months windows, the SW is only eligible for reimbursement during the 6-month window during which the appointment starts (January 1-June 30 OR July 1-December 31) (e.g., an FAS TF with an appointment from 08/11/2024-01/04/2025 would only be eligible for reimbursement for expenses incurred during the July 1-December 31 window because of the 8/11/2024 start date);
OR
have been employed as an hourly Research Assistant (but not an undergraduate Research Assistant), Teaching Fellow, or Course Assistant and worked at least 280 hours during the preceding six-month period from when the expense is incurred (i.e., worked at least 280 hours from July 1 through December 31 if the expense is incurred during the following January 1 through June 30 period, or worked at least 280 hours from January 1 through June 30 if the expense is incurred during the following July 1 through December 31 period);
OR
in the six-month period (July 1 through December 31 or January 1 through June 30) in which a student graduates and the expense is incurred, they are employed as an hourly Research Assistant (but not an undergraduate Research Assistant), Teaching Fellow, or Course Assistant and worked at least 280 hours prior to graduation.
Administrative fees, legal fees, travel and accommodation expenses, only when necessary for obtaining or maintaining the appropriate immigration and/or legal working status, and any other legitimate expenses related to immigration processes that are necessary for an applicant to successfully conduct their work, subject to the discretion of the Finance and Benefits Committee.
Last year, the average reimbursement per applicant from the ISWA fund was $998. You will not be reimbursed for more than submitted expenses. The maximum reimbursement an applicant can receive per year is $1,750.
Application Questions
No. For simplicity of administration, household income is self-reported.
Include any income earned by yourself as well as a spouse or committed partner. You do not need to report financial information of extended family members or roommates unless they contribute significantly to household expenses.
If you are unable to log in to our application to apply via HarvardKey, that means that you have not worked in an HGSU-UAW eligible position in the relevant time period (July 1, 2023–present) according to the records Harvard has shared with us. If you are planning to teach this semester, try accessing the fund the first week after your class meets; you should appear in our records by then. If you have worked in an HGSU-UAW eligible position before this fall and still can’t access the application, email hgsu.benefits@gmail.com with your HGSU-UAW appointment letter and we will help you get access to the application.
Fund Rules - In Plain English
Section
ISWA
Scope
Administrative fees and travel expenses required to maintain legal working status in the US
Eligibility
Appointed to an eligible position in the bargaining unit at one point in the contract year covered by application (flexibility for summer expenses)
Application Timeline
Salaried workers: expenses March 1 to date at the November deadline; expenses June 1 to date at the May deadline.
Hourly workers who became eligible in the previous spring semester can get the previous year’s expenses covered at the November deadline
Benefit Structure
Pool
Determination of Benefit Amounts
Are there fixed costs/grants?
No
Are there variable costs?
Yes—administrative, legal, and travel expenses directly connected to visa applications, renewals, and comparable processes
When does household income affect reimbursement?
When eligible expenses exceed available fund amount
Maximum annual payout
$1,750
Typical documentation
Receipts, consulate appointment confirmation (necessary for travel expenses)
Applications
SmarterSelect, open from 6 weeks before next deadline
January Review; Fund Governance
Minor changes made by vote of FBC; major changes are subject to HGSU membership vote
Full Rules
For full (legalese) version of the rules, please go here. For the most granular information on expenses we cover, refer to bullet point 1 of the Section entitled “Determination of Benefit Amounts.”
