The best visa category to use for an international visitor will vary according to
the individual’s citizenship, purpose at UCSB and previous use of non-immigrant
visas categories. UCSB departments will find one of the following non-immigrant
visa categories will be appropriate for their international visitor and the purpose
of their visit at UCSB:
- J-1 Exchange Visitor
- H-1B Specialty Occupation
- TN North American Free Trade
In some cases, the international visitor may be a recent graduate of a U.S. college
or university (including UCSB) who would be eligible to continue in their student
visa status and to be employed at UCSB for further training related to their field
of study that is called Practical Training for F-1 visa students and Academic Training for J-1 visa students.
It has come to the attention of the Office of International Students and Scholars
(OISS) that international visitors who use the B-1/B-2 visa or the Visa Waiver program
to come for an academic program at UCSB are encountering more problems than in the
past. Some have been refused entry into the United States. It can be difficult to
issue payments to someone in the B-1/B-2 or Visa Waiver status. For example, those
who are entitled to receive a reimbursement for expenses are required to have a
social security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). If they
do not already possess one of these numbers prior to their entry into the U.S.,
they are generally unable to apply for one of them while in the B-1/B-2 or Visa
Waiver status. Finally a number of such visitors change their purpose while at UCSB
and wish to stay longer than their B-1/B-2 or Visa Waiver status permits. They are
required by law to leave the U.S., apply for an appropriate non-immigrant visa and
re-enter. The law does not allow any exceptions or ways to work around these inherent
limitations of the B-1/B-2 and Visa Waiver statuses.
In contrast, the J-1 exchange visitor visa does not have any of these limitations.
Hence, OISS strongly recommends the use of the J-1 Exchange Visitor visa for most
academic visits.