International lecturers may enter the United States to give a lecture at Georgetown with a B-1 (visitor for business) visa or under the Visa Waiver Program (see eligible countries below). They may be paid honoraria and be reimbursed by Georgetown University for travel and living expenses related to the lecture.
The lecturer may only be given an honorarium and/or reimbursement if s/he has not visited more than five other insitutions in the past six months and or/the academic activity lasts less than nine days.
To obtain the B-1 visa, the individual should contact the U.S. embassy or consulate in his/her home country. S/he will need a letter of invitation from Georgetown University to use in support of the visa application. In order to be admitted as a B-1 visitor for business, the lecturer should present the passport and letter of invitation at the port of entry and explain the purpose of the trip. It is extremely important that the visitor be admitted in B-1 and not B-2 status. Georgetown will be unable to pay the honorarium and reimburse expenses if the visitor enters in B-2 tourist status.
Nationals of specific countries are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program, which allows them to enter the United States without first obtaining a visa from a U.S. consulate abroad. These individuals are admitted to the United States for the purpose of business (WB) or pleasure (WT). Participants in the VWP may stay a maximum of 90 days and may not extend or change their immigration status while in the United States.
All VWP passengers traveling to the United States by air or sea are required to register online with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). All visitors must obtain an approved travel authorization via ESTA in order to be eligible to travel to the United States under the VWP. Travelers using the VWP are encouraged to complete the ESTA process no later than 72 hours prior to departure.
Countries currently participating in the Visa Waiver Program are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
International lecturers who are eligible for the VWP should present the Georgetown University letter of invitation along with the passport at the port of entry in order to enter the country as a WB. It is extremely important that the visitor be admitted in WB and not WT status. Georgetown will be unable to pay the honorarium and reimburse expenses if the visitor enters in WT tourist status.
For more information regarding payment of these individuals, please visit the Tax Accounting Office website.