The UCLA Travel Center wants to ensure a trouble-free experience in making payments to or on behalf of our foreign guests.
It is the hosting department’s responsibility to ensure that all aliens receiving travel reimbursement payments from UCLA have the proper immigration status prior to requesting payment.
General Regulations
It should not be assumed that because an individual has previously visited the United States or is currently being reimbursed by another institution that he or she is eligible to receive travel-related payments.
Departments may not authorize payment to aliens with an immigration status that prohibits travel payments. (President Clinton’s Executive Order 12989 issued in 1996 prohibits UCLA from granting any exceptions in this matter.)
Visa Types & Eligibility
Advise the foreign visitor prior to his/her trip to obtain the appropriate immigration status from Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) upon entering the United States. The following types of visas may be reimbursed for travel and subsistence expenses: A-1/A-2, B-1, B-2, F-1, H-1A, H-1B, H-2, H-3, J-1, J-2, K-1, K-2, O-1, O-2, P-1, P-2, P-3, Green Card, Refugee, TN, WB and WT.
The following visa types are not eligible to receive any travel payments for expenses incurred in the United States: F-2, H-4, O-3 and P-4.
Exceptions
- Canadian citizens can enter the United States without a formal visa or status and are deemed to have a B-1 status. However, effective June 1, 2009, Canadian citizens entering the United States without a formal visa or status are required to present specific documents before entering the United States. The link for Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) in Related Information explains the requirement in more detail. The most common documents will be:
- Canadian passport
- Enhanced driver's license or ID card
- Trusted Traveler Program (NEXUS, FAST/Expres, SENTRI) enrollment cards
- Special situations (see WHTI link)
- Prospective students who enter the United States on a B-2 visa are eligible for travel reimbursement if it is designated on their entry documentation.
Documentation Requirements
The Declaration of Immigration Status by Non-U.S. Citizens form must be completed by any foreign visitor requesting reimbursement of travel expenses. This completed form and a copy of the visitor's I-94 form should be included with the traveler's receipts or the vendor invoice upon submission for payment. Note that the I-94 is given to the foreign visitor upon entrance into the United States and collected upon departure, so it is important to make a copy of this form before they leave.
