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 his/her U.S. Consulate. 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 WVP may stay a maximum of 90 days and may not extend or change their immigration status while in the United States.
Countries currently participating in the Visa Waiver Program are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, 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 on the Visa Waiver Program, please visit the State Department website.
For more information regarding payment of these individuals, please visit the Tax Office website.