Fillable Printable Sample Letter of Invitation to Visitor

Sample Letter of Invitation to Visitor

INSTRUCTIONS

LETTER OF INVITATION TO A FOREIGN VISITOR

PLEASE READ!

The purpose of the Letter of Invitation to a Foreign Visitor is not only to invite them to OUHSC,

but also to ensure they receive the proper visa status upon entering the United States.

 This letter should be given to the immigration inspector upon arriving in the U.S. The visitor

should receive a B-1 or Visa Waiver for Business (WB) status.

 The information in bold and parenthesis should be completed by the department inviting the

individual. Remove the bold and parenthesis once the information has been inserted.

o Name with Appropriate Title – Name of the individual who is being invited and their

title.

o Date – Date letter is created.

o Department - Name of the department that is inviting the individual.

o (date) to (date) - Range of dates the service will be provided.

o Purpose – A description of the service the individual will be providing.

o Amount – U.S. dollar amount the individual will be paid

o Event – The title of the even in which the services will be provided, i.e. Grand Rounds

Lecture.

o OUHSC Sponsoring Department Information: Signature, Name, Title, Location, Phone

Number, Fax Number, etc for a representative of the department. Preferably, this section

should completed by the person who initially invited the individual to OUHSC.

 Once completed by the inviting department, the letter should be printed on University

letterhead and signed.

Questions? Contact the AP Vendor Office at 405-271-2410 or ap-vendorof[email protected].

_____________________________________________________________________________

B-1/WB Letter of Invitation to Visitor

May 2007

(Date)

Dear (name with appropriate title),

On behalf of the (department) of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC),

I am pleased to invite you to visit our campus from (date) to (date) for the purpose of (lecture,

symposium, conference, etc).

In order for OUHSC to remain in compliance with the U.S. immigration and tax regulations, it is

imperative that you enter the United States in the appropriate non-immigration status which

would be either a B-1 visa obtained from the U.S Consulate prior to departure from your country,

or a Visa Waiver for Business (VWB) obtained upon arrival in the U.S.

To obtain a B-1 visa, please present this letter at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate with your non-

immigrant visa application, passport and photograph. When approved, the Consulate places a

U.S. visa into your passport. En route to the U.S., complete the white Form I-94 questionnaire.

Make sure you get it stamped with entry and expiration dates by the Immigrations Officer in U.S.

Customs at the port of entry.

If you are from a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program, and you otherwise

qualify, you may not need to obtain a visa but can present yourself to the Immigrations Officer at

a U.S. port of entry. Make sure to check the requirements for qualifying for the Visa Waiver

Program well in advance of your scheduled trip. En route to the U.S., complete the green form I-

94W questionnaire. Please advice the inspecting Immigration Officer that you are coming for

temporary business purposes and make sure you get the I-94W stamped with entry and

expiration dates.

The stamped I-94 form documents your entry and departure dates. This form is also necessary

for payment of honorarium.

OUHSC will pay you an honorarium of (amount) in association with your visit. However, the

University can only make this payment if your affiliation will not exceed nine (9) days, and you

have not accepted this type of payment from other U.S. institutions more than five (5) times in

the past six (6) months.

It is necessary that you present a U.S. Tax Identification Number (TIN), which is a Social

Security Number (SSN) or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) for individuals. If you

do not have a U.S. TIN, OUHSC is required to withhold 38 percent for taxes (30 percent for

federal and 8 percent for state). Also, if you do not have a U.S. TIN, you are not eligible to claim

an income tax treaty benefit.

Please complete the attached International Information Form (IIF) and return it with copies of

your passport (and visa if applicable) as soon as possible. This form documents all your previous

visits to the U.S. so we can properly determine your tax status and treaty eligibility. In the event

you do quality for an income tax treaty exemption, you will be asked to sign a Form 8233 while

you are in the U.S. visiting our department. You will need to present a copy of your passport,

visa, and I-94 shortly after arriving at OUHSC.

We look forward to your participation in (event). If you have any questions about the process

listed above, please contact our Nonresident Alien Tax Specialist at 405-271-2055, ext. 46351.

Sincerely,

(OUHSC Sponsoring Department Information)