B Status

Frequently Asked Questions

Payment of Honoraria  and/or Reimbursement of Expenses  To Short Term Foreign Visitors in B-1, B-2, WB or WT Status

Can an international visitor to Yale receive reimbursements and honorarium payments?
Any visitor to Yale in a "B" visa classification who is engaged in academic activities may be reimbursed or receive payment for service. The academic activity in which the visitor is engaged can last no longer than nine (9) days. In addition, the visitor cannot accept payment of expenses and/or honorarium from more than five U.S. institutions or organizations in the previous six months. If either of these conditions is exceeded the individual may NOT receive any honorarium or honorarium plus reimbursement for expenses.

What does the B visa classification include? 
This status includes the following classifications: B-1 visitor for business, B-2 visitor for pleasure, WB (visa waiver for business) and WT (visa waiver for pleasure.) One of these notations will be written on the visitor’s I-94 arrival/departure record, the small card that is normally stapled to the passport.

How does a visitor acquire B status?
If the visitor does not already have a B visa stamp in his or her passport, he or she must apply for one at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, unless eligible for the visa waiver program. (For information about applying for visas at a particular embassy or consulate, check the Department of States Links to United States Embassies and Consulates Worldwide. In addition to the visa application form, the visitor should present to the consulate a letter of invitation outlining the terms of the proposed visit to Yale (sample letters attached.)

What is the Visa Waiver Program?
WB, Visitor for Business, and WT, Visitor for Pleasure, are designations under the visa waiver program that is currently available only to citizens of twenty-seven countries (see list at this Web site).  Persons in WB or WT status will have a green (rather than white) I-94 card. Eligible individuals need not apply for a visa at an American consulate or embassy, but simply present Yale’s letter of invitation to the U.S. immigration inspector at the point of entry.

What about Canadian visitors?
Canadian citizens are exempt from the U.S. passport and visa requirements and may be in the U.S. without these documents and without an I-94 card. In this case, the DHS considers them to have been admitted as visitors for pleasure or visitors for business. Since the Canadian visitor will not have an I-94, which states whether or not they are B-1 or B-2, the visitor must make his or her own declaration after arriving at Yale. Canadian citizen visitors to Yale should be advised to request an I-94 card from the U.S. Immigration inspectors in order to facilitate the reimbursement of expenses and/or the payment of honoraria. However, if a Canadian citizen does not have an I-94, but has evidence of Canadian nationality and the purpose of his or her visit to Yale, reimbursement or payment of honorarium can be made under the same provisions outlined above.

Do the same regulations apply to citizens of Mexico?
Not quite. A visa and a passport are not required of a Mexican national who is in possession of a border crossing card on Form I-186 or I-586 and is applying for admission as a temporary visitor for business or pleasure from a contiguous territory. Mexican citizens should be advised to request an I-94 card from the U.S. immigration inspectors in order to facilitate the reimbursement of expenses and/or the payment of honoraria. However, if a Mexican citizen does not have an I-94, but has a border-crossing card, it is up to the individual to declare his or her purpose in being in the U.S. With the border crossing card and evidence of the purpose of his or her visit to Yale, reimbursement or payment of honorarium can be made under the same provisions outlined above.

What options exist to bring a short-term visitor to Yale for more than nine days?
The first option applies to those visitors who are only being reimbursed for substantiated reasonable expenses and are NOT RECEIVING AN HONORARIA OR PAYMENT FOR INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES. This visitor may enter the U.S. in B-1 or WB status and can be reimbursed for substantiated reasonable expenses, paid in accordance with University policy, up to the expiration of their B-1 status as stated on the I-94 card. THIS APPLIES ONLY TO HOLDERS OF B-1 OR WB STATUS. IT DOES NOT APPLY TO HOLDERS OF B-2 OR WT STATUS.

What option is there for bringing a short-term visitor who will be here more than nine days and who will receive an honorarium or other payment for services?
This visitor has only one option – the J-1 Short Term Scholar Status. To obtain this status, the hosting department must notify the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) by submitting the OISS Notification Form well in advance of the visit. OISS will prepare an DS-2019 to be sent to the visitor who must take the form to a U.S Consulate or Embassy to apply for a J-1 visa. This status can be valid for up to six months.

What are the steps for paying an international visitor? 
The International Tax Office site provides the University community with information on how to pay international individuals who are not University employees.

 

B-1, B-2 Tourist Status