B-1/B-2 Visitor Visa

Occasionally, Georgia State departments may have international guests come to our campus to conduct or attend a workshop, conference, present a lecture, observe or conduct independent research for a short period of time.  An International visiting Georgia State to engage in temporary academic, educational or professional activities as described above, may not need for Georgia State to sponsor them on a visa. In these cases, the visitor can use/apply for a B-1 business visitor visa or make use of the Visa Waiver Program.

NOTE: The B-1 business visitor category is not appropriate for visitors engaging in active in-lab research or collaborative activities that will benefit Georgia State in any way.

To assist in your thinking, someone using the B status or Visa Waiver Program should be treated as a member of the public whom you have invited into our institution, which means that they should not be given a Georgia State e-mail address or Panther ID. If unsure about which visa category you should use for your visitor, please contact Lukas Green in ISSS for assistance.

Prior to inviting your visitor to campus please remember to read important and helpful information from the Office of International Initiatives about hosting international visitors.

Honoraria/Reimbursement

Academic honorarium payments and reimbursement for incidental expenses are allowed. Please keep in mind that when a visitor arrives in the B-1 category that Honorarium payments are allowed only as long as the academic activity at Georgia State for which an honorarium is paid is (a) no longer than 9 days, (b) the visitor has not accepted honoraria from more than five institutions or organizations (c) within a 6 month period.