Jan 29, 2019
Dear Rahul Gupta,
We are pleased that you have accepted our invitation to visit the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Zorby University from April 5 to April 11, 2019. Your lecture is scheduled for April 8 at 1:00 p.m., and the graduate student seminar for April 10 at 3:00 p.m. We are excited to offer you an honorarium of $1,000. In addition, we will cover your airfare and your living expenses while in Dallas, Texas.
As your stay is of short duration and you will not be employed at Zorby, you should enter the U.S. in B-1 or B-2 status (visitor for business or visitor for pleasure). To be eligible for this status and for Zorby University to reimburse your expenses and/or pay you an honorarium, your status and activities must meet certain qualifications. The basic criteria to qualify for reimbursement of expenses and payment of honoraria in visitor status are as follows:
- The academic activity at Zorby for which you wish to receive reimbursement or an honorarium must be no longer than 9 days.
- During the six-month period immediately prior to your visit to Zorby, you must not have accepted reimbursements from more than five other institutions in the U.S. while in visitor status.
- Per the notation on your I-94 form, you must be present in the U.S. in visitor status as a VWP, B-1, or B-2.
Mexican and Canadian citizens who cross the border without a form I-94 will be presumed to have gained admission to the U.S in B-1 or B-2 status. Canadians are exempt from the visa requirements. You must have your passport to enter the U.S. if traveling by air. Canadian citizens entering the U.S. by land or sea must show either a passport or another government-issued photo ID (like a driver’s license), plus proof of citizenship (like a birth certificate). Mexican citizens must show either a U.S. Border Crossing Card or a Mexican passport with a valid tourist visa (either B-1 or B-2 status). If your passport does not have a valid B-1/B-2 visa stamp, you must apply for one at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Present this letter alongside your application for a visa. You should also present this letter, your passport, and your visa at the port of entry to the U.S. You will be provided an electronic Form I-94 to print from the CBP website at your convenience. Once you arrive at Zorby, please present a copy of your I-94 card as well as the identity pages from your passport and copies of your visa to receive your honorarium and reimbursement of expenses.
If your home country participates in the visa waiver program with the U.S., you will only need to carry your passport. You will not need to obtain a visa to enter the U.S. However, you will have to register online with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before entry into the U.S. Instructions are available at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta. It is recommended that, as confirmation of ESTA registration, travelers print out the ESTA application response to show upon boarding their flight. Once you arrive at Zorby, you will need to show copies of the electronic I-94 card and the identity pages from your passport once to receive your honorarium and reimbursement of expenses.
If you have any questions about the immigration requirements of your visit, or if you believe that you cannot meet one or more of the requirements described above, please call me or the Zorby Office of International Students and Scholars at (972) 765-4321, or email [email protected].
Sincerely,
John Smith
1 Visa Waiver countries: Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom
