This is entirely gray area. The rules of thumb are following: - Owning companies is totally fine. - Generating income from various sources is totally fine. W

This is entirely gray area. The rules of thumb are following: - Owning companies is totally fine. - Generating income from various sources is totally fine. What is not allowed is: - You should not work in any capacity where an American citizen could have been gainfully employed. Lot of people mis-represent is that you can not get paid a salary, that is not true. Salary is just an evidence of you worked. How many people structure this is the following. Partner with an American citizen and start the business. The American partner will hold 51% stake and you will be a passive investor with 49%. If you are married you can apply for H4EAD. You spouse has unconditional EAD and she can run the company. Important note: This issue is only for people born in India. Everyone else can get their EAD/GC in an year or so.