B1/B2 or Visa Waiver Tourist
Payments of Honorarium and Travel Reimbursements
The American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 contains a provision that allows payment of honoraria and associated incidental expenses to B-1 and B-2 visa holders and Visa Waiver Participants for “usual academic activity.” There are four categories of tourist visa statuses: B1, WB, B2 and WT.
Independent visitors generally travel to the US in either a B-1 (Visitor for Business), B-2 (Visitor for Tourism), WB (Visa Waiver eligible and in the US as a business visitor) or WT (Visa Waiver eligible and in the US as a tourist). These visitors may be paid an honorarium, a per diem and/or reimbursed for travel expenses for activities lasting no longer than 9 business days, from no more than 5 academic institutions in the US within the past six months.
Visa Waiver Countries: Nationals of certain countries are waived by the US Department of State from obtaining a visa to visit the US as a tourist. Nationals of approximately 27 countries can enter the US with a valid passport and obtain WB (Visa Waiver for business) or WT (Visa Waiver for Tourism) status at a US port of entry. See here for a list of visa waiver countries. Citizens from countries NOT on the list must obtain a tourist visa at a US Consulate prior to coming to the US.
Notes on Eligibility for Payment from PSU
(Please note: ISSS is not involved in this process. PSU Departments must work with Human Resources and PSU Payroll in these processes. This should be done before any consideration of a payment to a visitor is made. This information is offered as friendly information and should not be construed to be legal advice.)
Honoraria
*B-1, B-2, WB, and WT visa holders may be paid an honorarium for usual academic activity not exceeding nine days in duration, provided that such individual has not received honoraria from more than 5 educational institutions in the previous six-month period.
*Departments should consult with PSU Human Resources regarding possible tax implications of payments of honoraria.
Travel and Incidental Expenses
*B-1 and WB visa holders may be reimbursed for reasonable travel and incidental expenses incurred in connection with a usual academic activity, regardless of the duration of the activity and regardless of whether the individual has previously received payment from other educational institutions.
*B-2 and WT visa holders may be reimbursed for reasonable travel and incidental expenses incurred in connection with a usual academic activity not exceeding nine days in duration, provided that such individual has not received travel and incidental expenses from more than 5 educational institutions in the previous six-month period.
*Departments should consult with PSU Human Resources regarding possible tax implications of any payments to individuals.
Payments at PSU
Step One: PSU hosting department completes a Personal Services Contract from PSU Purchasing.
Step Two: PSU hosting department provides PSU Purchasing with copies of the visitor’s 1) passport identity page, 2) visa stamp in passport, and 3) I-94 card (front and back.) The I-94 card is the white card that can be found in the passport. Special advice for invitation of Canadian visitors: Visitors coming to the US will need to be reminded to make sure to obtain an I-94 card when they enter the United States.
Step Three: If payment qualifies, PSU Purchasing makes payment to visitor.
Additional Information on the Tourist Visa
The US Department of State provides current information on the various tourist visa statuses. This information can be found on-line by clicking here.