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Information for Foreign Nationals

This web page provides important information for foreign nationals who are planning to conduct experiments at the ALS.

Planning your visit to the ALS

2 months before your planned visit to Berkeley Lab:  

  • Update your profile on ALSHub and let the ALS know the date you plan to arrive on-site (which is not necessarily your experiment start date). The User Office will direct your updated profile to the Berkeley Lab Shared Services Office if you need a new appointment and new badge to come on-site.
  • Foreign nationals who are citizens of, or were born in, State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) should contact the User Office.
  • Berkeley Lab’s Visa and Immigration Services office will help you obtain the right visa for your visit, if you need one. If you have already secured or are eligible for an ESTA / WB visa, be sure to let us know.
  • The LBNL Foreign Visits & Assignments office will review your profile.
  • You will be asked to provide immigration documents after your entry into the U.S., including: 
    • Most recent US entry I-94 record and passport ID page
    • In addition, if applicable: valid visa stamp issued by the US Consulate; current visa form such as DS2019; your local address in the U.S., and J-1 visa required medical insurance and repatriation coverage for the duration of your stay

3–5 business days before your planned visit to Berkeley Lab: 

  • Upload the I-94 form that you received online, following the guidance you will have received from Berkeley Lab Human Resources. Please do this as soon as possible so that the review of the immigration documentation will start. No review can take place until your I-94 form is uploaded.
  • Internal reviews may take several days. Please ensure that you enter the U.S. and provide your I-94 3–5 business days before you are planning to arrive on-site. Lab offices are not staffed during the weekend. Please take this under consideration.

When you receive your approval to come on-site: 

  • Call or email to make a badge appointment with Site Access. Please only make an appointment after your access request has been fully and successfully processed.

Start your beamtime:

  • Please note that your first day of access to LBNL could be before your first day of scheduled beamtime if, for example, you want to install equipment or prepare samples. 

Notes

  • Many ALS users who intermittently access the ALS for short visits travel using B-1 or WB business visas unless they have a J-1, F-1, or H-1B visa or are US permanent residents. Please visit the Department of State website for more information. Note: The visa type you need to use for your visit will ultimately be approved by the Visa and Immigration Office at the Lab and may not necessarily be a visa that you already hold.
  • Please note that WT and B-2 tourist entry stamps are not accepted for visits to the Lab. Review this page for more information. When passing through US Customs, be careful to ensure that the correct type of visa is issued. You may wish to stress to the reviewing officer that you are traveling on business and not a holiday/vacation/tourism.
  • This page shows travel documents you should be carrying with you.

For more information

For additional information about the documentation requirements for foreign nationals, see Berkeley Lab’s Visa and Immigration Services office website.

For more information about working on-site as an ALS user, see the On-site Access web page or contact the User Services Office.

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