U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Restrictions on Honoraria and Service Payments to Foreign Individuals

Honoraria payments can be made to B-1, B-2, WB, and WT visa holders only if they participated in an academic activity of 9 days or less and have not received honoraria payments from more than 5 other institutions in the United States within the previous 6 months of their visit to Harvard.  The rules for payments to Canadians who enter with only a passport and who have declared their reason for visiting the U.S. is business, would follow the rules as stated for B-1 or WB visa holders.  • Per U.S. State Department regulations, J-1 teacher/researcher/short term scholar visa holders not sponsored by Harvard University must provide a statement from their sponsoring institution granting permission for them to receive honoraria or service payments from Harvard University.  • Per U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regulations, H-1B, TN, and 0-1 visa holders not sponsored by Harvard University cannot, under any circumstances, receive honoraria or service payments from Harvard.  • For honoraria or service payments to any other J-1 category, F-1 visa type, or visa type not discussed in the prior paragraphs, contact the Harvard International Office at 495-2789 or www.hio.harvard.edu.