• Contact Us
    Cartref Building - 2nd Floor
    (610) 526-7870 FAX

    Bryn Mawr College
    Controller's Office
    101 N. Merion Ave.
    Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-2899

What to do if you want to bring an international guest to campus for an academic activity

PURPOSE

 

The purposes of this document are to:

  • describe how Bryn Mawr College carries out its obligation to comply with immigration and tax laws concerning payments to nonresident aliens joining Bryn Mawr as international guests;
  • describe the Bryn Mawr College J-Program available for international guests needing visa sponsorship;
  • describe the process by which authorized payments, e.g. honoraria and travel reimbursements, are processed and remitted to international guests

 This document is not intended to address compensation for prospective or current employees who will be placed on the Bryn Mawr College payroll.

 

BACKGROUND

 

The College frequently invites international scholars to campus as visitors to provide a short-term service, such as deliver a lecture, conduct a workshop, or stage a performance. 

International scholars who are not U.S. citizens or resident aliens require both a visa that permits payments for services and/or reimbursements for expenses.  Without valid non-immigration/ non-resident documentation, Bryn Mawr College is not legally permitted to process payments for services. 

If the proper work authorization paperwork cannot be provided, the Controller’s Office will not process a request for payment.  This results in either a non-payment or a delayed payment to our visitor.

Bryn Mawr College J-Program

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DoS) have certified Bryn Mawr College as an institution with an Exchange Visitor Program (J-Program).

The objective of this program is to develop and strengthen professional and personal ties between key nonimmigrant exchange visitors with J-visas and Americans and American institutions.  The program is intended to bring foreign nationals, who are recognized as leaders, to participate in observation, tours, discussions, consultation, professional meetings, conferences, workshops, and travel in the U.S.  Any international visitor to the College who has a J-visa may benefit from streamlined processing of information and payments for services.

If your guest needs J Visa sponsorship, contact Beth Shepard-Rabadam in the Provost’s Office.

The verbal Invitation and letter of Appointment

 

  • The academic department extends a verbal invitation to international scholar-guest to visit campus and deliver a lecture, presentation, or workshop.
  • The department notifies the Provost’s Office of the invitation and its terms.
  • The Provost’s letter issues a standard appointment letter to the international scholar-guest, which outlines the terms of the offer (dates, compensation, reimbursement or direct payment for expenses), visa concerns, taxation and tax treaty matters, and the payment procedures.
  • The international scholar-guest signs the letter–accepting the offer, confirming his/her legal name and email address—and returns the appointment letter to the Provost’s Office.
  • Provost’s Office notifies the Academic Administrative Assistant in the host department that the appointment letter has been returned.

Glacier, software for payments and reimbursements

  • The Provost's Office creates a record for the invited guest in GLACIER, the College’s web-based, tax-compliance software.  
  • The guest receives by email a web link to her/his GLACIER record.  S/he completes the online GLACIER form.  N.B.  Guests must enter the country and received the I-94 Stamp before they can complete and print the GLACIER record.
  • Using the information the guest enters, GLACIER determines the guest’s eligibility for payments and reimbursements, as well as tax residency and the appropriate tax treatment of the income that the guest is eligible to receive from Bryn Mawr.
  • Once the record is complete, the GLACIER software instructs the scholar-guest to print and sign the “Tax Summary,” gather the list of required documentation, and submit these items to Bryn Mawr.
  • Guests have two options for submitting GLACIER documentation to the College:

1-Guests, who are already in the U.S. and have the I-94 Stamp, may submit
by mail a complete Glacier package to the Academic Administrative Assistant.

2-Guests, who have not yet arrived in U.S., may begin the GLACIER record while abroad, obtain the I-94 Stamp at entry, and then complete the GLACIER record with the I-94 admission number.  These guests have two options per their itinerary:

a. Upon arrival at Bryn Mawr College, the guest submits GLACIER documents
in-person to the Academic Administrative Assistant. 

 

b. A guest who enters the U.S. a week or more before the Bryn Mawr campus visit may submit by mail his/her complete package of documentation to the Academic Administrative Assistant.

  • The Academic Administrative Assistant receives and reviews the package for completeness.  S/he brings the documents to Patti Lausch in the Office of International Programs, who will review the documentation, as required by law, to verify that the documents are valid.

Submitting request for Payment or Reimbursement

  • If the guests’s Glacier package is complete and documents are valid, the Academic Administrative Assistant completes and submits A/P payment request to the Controller's Office.   Glacier documentation is attached to the Request for Payment. 
  • Requests for Payment are due Mondays at 5PM.  Payment requests are processed with a standard one-week turn-around.

CAMPUS RESOURCES IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS

If you need additional information or assistance contact the Provost’s Office or Patti Lausch in the Office of International Programs.

OTHER RESOURCES

The following website links are helpful for obtaining forms, instructions, and general guidance:

Back to Top