Office of International Education

B-1/B-2 Practical Considerations

Inviting a Short-Term Visitor

If your Department wishes to invite a foreign national to give a lecture, attend a conference, or participate in a consultation, the following letter is a template for the kind of invitation letter that you may wish to send to the visitor. This letter should stipulate the purpose of the visit, the financial arrangements, and the dates of the visit. Please remember that a B-1/B-2 visitor can only receive reimbursement or an honorarium if the visit is for less than 9 days and if he/she has not been paid by more than five (5) U.S. institutions in the previous six (6) month period.

B-1 visitors for business are admitted to the U.S. “for a period of time which is fair and reasonable for completion of the purpose of the trip,” based primarily on the amount of time that the visitor needs to complete the anticipated business purpose.  Some visitors will not need to obtain a visa in order to enter in B-1 status (Canadian citizens, for example).  Visitors from many Western European countries plus Australia, Brunei, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program and may enter the US for up to 90 days (with no extensions allowed) as visitors for business without having to obtain a B-1 visa.  Additional details about the Visa Waiver Program can be found at:  http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html

If the department will reimburse the visitor's expenses or pay him/her an honorarium, this information should be included in the letter. The visitor will take the letter to the Consulate in his/her home country to obtain a B-1/B-2 visa. In some cases, the visitor may already have the appropriate visa or may be from a country for which the Visa Waiver program is in effect. The visitor should be advised to carry the invitation letter with him/her upon entry to the U.S. He/she should present the letter to the immigration inspector at the port of entry:


Dear Visitor Name:
We are pleased to invite you to give a talk on [date] for the [Important Colloquium] in the [Academic Department] at Carnegie Mellon University . We understand that you will arrive on [date] and depart on [date]. We will pay for your hotel while you are here as well as reimburse you for your airfare. You just need to send us your ticket receipt which states the prices once you return home.
According to Immigration and Naturalization Act 101(a) (15) (B), you may enter the U.S. temporarily for business, and you may receive payment for incidental expenses as set forth in I.N.A. 212 (q). [OPTION 1: Please take this letter with you to the Consulate when you apply for your visa and when you enter the U.S. ] [OPTION 2: Please take this letter with you when you enter the U.S. as a visitor under the Visa Waiver program.]
If you have any further questions, please contact me at [Department phone & email].

Requesting Reimbursement/Honorarium from Payroll Services

Employment in the U.S. is not allowed, but reimbursement and per diem payments are allowed if related to the B-1 activity.  The total amount of such payments cannot exceed what is “reasonable.”  An academic honorarium can be paid, but only under very limited circumstances including a visit that is not longer than 9 days at one institution.

When the individual arrives on campus, he/she must complete the “Foreign National Information Form for Non-Employees”, which is available on the Carnegie Mellon website, under Financial Services: http://www.as.cmu.edu/~fsg/forms/payroll/foreign_nonemp.pdf

Another helpful reference for paying non-immigrants on the Financial Services website is: http://www.as.cmu.edu/~fsg/forms/payroll/Visa_payment.pdf

If you have questions about reimbursing or paying an honorarium to a B-1/B-2 visitor, please direct these questions to Vera Mellor, Special Services Payments, 412-268-1006 or .

Updated April 3, 2008