Visa Information

Before you confirm your attendance to a workshop or program, please take a look at local consulate wait times to see if you are able to obtain a visa; if you are unable to obtain one before your scheduled arrival date, please email Janell Rodgers at jrodgers@scgp.stonybrook.edu. Do not book any flights until you are sure you can enter the U.S.

**Please note that our department has no way of speeding up the visa application process. 

It may be beneficial to bring your invitation letter with you during your travels so that you may establish your Simons Center visit dates, should you be asked by an Immigration official.

Visa Information

If you are not a U.S. citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident, you will need to determine the best visa option for your visit to the Simons Center.

**If you are Canadian citizen coming to the U.S. for a a short-term visit, you will not require a visa.

You may find the following links helpful:

Visa waiver program information (VWP/ESTA)

With stays of 90 days or less, visitors from participating countries may be eligible to enter the U.S. on the Visa Waiver Program. This means it is not necessary to obtain a visa stamp from an American Consulate. For a list of participating countries, please click here.

You may be eligible for the Visa Waiver Program if:

  • your total visit does not exceed 90 days
  • you have a valid passport
  • you have a return trip ticket (to any foreign destination other than a territory bordering the U.S., unless you are a resident there).

Please be sure to visit the waiver program website above as there are certain requirements that must be met and you may need to have ESTA authorization before your visit.

Please note: Due to the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, previous visa rules have changed.

If you have traveled to Syria, Sudan, Iran and/or Iraq within the past 5 years, you may require a visa and an interview from a U.S. Consulate or Embassy, in addition to applying through ESTA (some exceptions apply on a case by case basis).

Please see the link below for more information (be sure to click the “Important Notice” link). Should this Act affect you, please be sure that you leave yourself ample time to make an appointment with a U.S. Consulate or Embassy.

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/visit/visa-waiver-program.html

If you have any further questions in regards to visas, please contact Melissa Wessler (mwessler@scgp.stonybrook.edu).

Honorarium Rule (“9-5-6”)

Foreign nationals in B-1, B-2, WB, and WT status who were offered an honorarium in their invitation letter may accept payment under the following conditions:

  • For “usual academic activity or activities”
  • 9 days or less at Stony Brook University
  • The individual has accepted such payment from no more than 5 educational or research institutions (including Stony Brook University) in the previous 6-month period.

If you are visiting on an H-1B visa, you are not eligible to receive an honorarium.

Travel reimbursement

Please check your invitation to confirm that you were offered travel reimbursement. For reimbursement of travel expenses, the “9-5-6” rule does not apply.

All reimbursement information will be emailed to you, prior to your arrival, and documentation should be electronically submitted.