International Student Visa Information for Doctoral Residency

The University has done some research with U.S. immigration officials and with other U.S. institutions to determine which immigration status is best suited to the type of short-term residencies that are offered by the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship (GLE) programs. We were advised by the Policy Branch of the United States Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) that individuals entering the United States for short-term training or workshop/seminar attendance typically enter the United States in B-1 status (visitor for business). GLE has confirmed that the purpose of your visit to Regent for your upcoming residency does indeed meet the definition of short-term training or workshop/seminar attendance, and that is the description/explanation you will need to use/provide as the purpose of your visit to the United States when you apply for the B-1 visa at the U.S. consulate/embassy (if applicable), and when you apply for the B-1 immigration status at the U.S. Port of Entry. GLE will email an official letter of invitation for the upcoming residency to newly accepted international students, which will describe the purpose and focus of the residency. You can use that letter in support of your application for a B-1 visa at the U.S. consulate/embassy (if applicable) and your application for B-1 immigration status at the U.S. Port of Entry. It is important that you determine whether or not you will need an actual B-1 visa stamp in your passport as soon as possible by reading the sections below as well as the information on the U.S. Department of State's website. If you require a B-1 visa, it is important that you make an appointment for that visa application as soon as possible.

B-1 Visas and the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)

Just as citizens of certain nations (such as Canada) do not need an F-1 visa to apply for admission to the United States in the F-1 student immigration status, the same is true for B-1 visitors where citizens of certain nations also do not need a B-1 visa in order to apply for admission to the United States in the B-1 immigration status. Citizens from countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) can apply for admission into the United States at the U.S. Port of Entry without an actual B-1 visa under the terms and conditions of the program. Some general qualifications for the VWP include: citizenship from one of the countries; specific machine-readability and biometric passport requirements; entry into the United States for a period of 90 days or less. Those who have previously violated the terms and conditions of a prior stay under the VWP are not eligible to enter the United States under the VWP. It generally takes more time to apply for the B-1 business visa than it does to apply for the F-1 student visa, so it is important that you determine whether or not you will need the B-1 visa and that you make your visa application appointment as soon as possible if a B-1 visa is needed.

Please read these pages of the U.S. Department of State's website for important details on the B-1 visitor visas, the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and for general information on U.S. visas:

• Visitor Visas Business and Pleasure
• Visa Waiver Program (VWP)
• Temporary Visitors to the U.S.
• General U.S. Visa Information

Those visitors who will require a B-1 visa should also check the website of the U.S. consulate/embassy where you will apply for the visa for specific procedures and requirements at that particular location.

Citizens of Canada, Mexico and Bermuda:
--Currently, Canadian citizens will need proof of their identity and proof of their citizenship in order to apply for entry to the United States and generally should not need a B-1 business visa to apply for admission into the United States as a B-1 business visitor.

--Citizens and permanent residents of Mexico generally must have a nonimmigrant visa or Border Crossing Card (also known as Laser Visa) in order to apply for admission to the United States as a B-1 business visitor.

--Citizens of the British Overseas Territories of Bermuda are not required to have a B-1 visa unless they have a criminal ineligibility or have previously violated the terms of a nonimmigrant status in the United States. Citizens of Bermuda must have proof of their identity and proof of their citizenship in order to apply for admission to the United States as a B-1 business visitor at the U.S. Port of Entry.

The information provided above only serves as a general and basic guideline for those from Canada, Mexico and Bermuda. Please read this important page of the U.S. Department of State's website for important details on the exact documents you will need to enter the United States as a B-1 business visitor:

Who from Canada, Mexico and Bermuda, Needs a Nonimmigrant Visa to Enter the United States Temporarily? Complete details can be found by clicking here.