[To be placed on your department letterhead]

Date

Dear Name of the International Visitor:

Thank you for accepting our invitation to visit the department/school/unit name at Southern Illinois University from the dates of the visit. Your activities will include indicating the activities the visitor is invited to participate in, e.g., attend a workshop, participate in a conference, give a lecture, etc.

Since you will not be employed at Southern Illinois University and your stay is of short duration, you should plan on entering the U.S. on a B-1 visa (visitor for business). To qualify for this visa status and to ensure that Southern Illinois University will be able to reimburse you for your expenses and/or pay you an honorarium, your status and activities must meet the following criteria:

The academic activity at Southern Illinois University for which you wish to receive honorarium or reimbursement must not be longer than 9 actual days; and,

You cannot accept honorarium/reimbursement from more than 5 institutions in six months.

If you do not have a valid B-1/B-2 visa stamp in your passport, it will be necessary to apply for one at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate nearest you. You should present this letter with your application for a visa. The process for obtaining a visa can be lengthy, so please plan accordingly.

Upon arrival in the U.S., you should again present this letter, along with your passport and visa to the Port of Entry Officer. Once your admissibility in B-1 status has been determined you will be given a notation on your U.S. admission stamp of B-1. Upon arrival in the U.S., you need to visit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website to retrieve your Form I-94 (you will be required to present this form along with your visa and passport to receive your honorarium/reimbursement).

Please contact the unit contact person’s name at phone/email if you have any questions about your upcoming visit.

Sincerely,

Signature

Name and title, such as chair or director of your unit