Occasional Lectures and Consultations

There are different immigration rules for different immigration statuses.  Please always consult your ISSS advisor before accepting any invitations from other entities.  

J-1 scholars

If you are in the J-1 Research Scholar or Professor category, you can give up to 2 occasional lectures or consultations per month as long as they are related to your Exchange Program objective and won't delay your program completion date. You will need written approval from your ISSS advisor beforehand.

This option is to deliver a one or two day lecture and such.  Teaching a semester-long course is not an occasional lecture as it is ongoing for a semester. 

Here's what you need to do:

  1. Get a letter from the inviting institution on official letterhead that includes:
    1. Date(s) of occasional lecture or consultation
    2. Number of hours 
    3. Field or subject area of the activity
    4. Amount and type of compensation
    5. Detailed description of the activity
  2. Send a copy of the invitation letter to your supervisor
  3. If your supervisor agrees to recommend the activity, log in to ISSS Link and fill out the Occasional Lecture or Consultation e-form.
  4. After you submit the e-form, it will be routed to your supervisor and then to ISSS for approval.
  5. If the activity is approved, ISSS will send you an approval letter that you can give to the inviting institution for their paperwork.  Please do not begin the activity without written permission from ISSS. 

H-1B, O-1 & TN scholars

Your activities in the U.S. are limited to the information provided to DHS when you were granted your current status.  Thus, you should not accept additional job(s) or duties.  

If you are presenting at a professional conference, you may be reimbursed for travel expenses that you actually incur - recommend keeping the receipts.  But you should not conduct any activities that would normally result receiving in honorariums or payments from other entities.