New Intl Travel COVID-19 Test Requirement

Dear international students,

I hope that you are off to a great start to the new semester!

Most of you who plan to study on campus this semester are already on campus. However, there are still a few of you waiting on visa appointments and consequently planning to travel to the United States and on to the Berrien Springs campus of Andrews University later this month.

Therefore, I wanted to bring your attention to a new U.S. Government COVID-19 testing requirement issued in response to an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday.

This new order requires all international air passengers arriving in the United States to receive a COVID-19 test within three days before the scheduled flight and give documented proof of a negative test result to the airline before boarding. The order takes effect on Jan. 26, 2021.

You can read more about this requirement on the CDC website here.

I also wanted to remind those of you who are planning to arrive on campus later this month to communicate right away with your academic advisors and make sure a late arrival is approved. It might also be a good idea to ask for an email or letter from your academic advisor documenting this approval for late arrival to campus so that you can show it to an immigration official upon arrival in the United States as they confirm your study plans.

I am wishing all of you a great semester, and for those of you yet to arrive on our Berrien Springs campus, my prayers are with you for a safe journey.

Christian Stuart
Executive Director, PDSO, RO
Center for On-campus International Student Services