The B-1 visa classification may be used by a scholar coming to the United States for a temporary stay (generally up to six months) to participate in scientific, educational, or professional collaboration, business conventions or conferences, or to undertake independent research. B-1 visa holders are prohibited from engaging in paid employment. The foreign national must apply for a B-1 visa at an American consulate abroad and should present a letter of invitation from the MIT faculty host. The authorized DLC administrator should contact ISchO for advice on the appropriateness of this classification for a given scholar and for instructions for the letter of invitation and related procedures. B-1s placed on MIT appointment must register at ISchO upon arrival. If a scholar comes from a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program, the scholar may enter the United States in “WB” status (similar to B-1 status) without getting a visa stamp from an American consulate. Administrators may consult the ISchO website for details.
Payment
In general, a B-1 or “WB” visitor may not receive a salary or income from a U.S- based institution or entity, but may receive provision for expenses incidental to the visit, such as a subsistence allowance or reimbursement for travel and daily living expenses. Under certain restrictive circumstances, the regulations may permit honoraria to be paid for visits of fewer than nine days. Please contact ISchO for details.
Visitors in B-2 or “WT” tourist status (as noted on the admission stamp in the passport or I-94 arrival record) are not permitted to hold formal affiliations at MIT.
Page updated March 2023