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That’s not true for most countries. Tourist visas are not for any kind of work. Business visas permit attending meetings and conducting business activities to b

by pavlov 4y ago

That’s not true for most countries. Tourist visas are not for any kind of work. Business visas permit attending meetings and conducting business activities to benefit a company in the traveller’s origin country, but in general there has to be a connection to the country issuing the visa — “I just want to live there for three months” isn’t a business purpose.

basisword 4y ago
Maybe it’s different when working for a company, but I’ve been self employed + worked in a foreign country under a tourist visa for 5 months. On arrival I was taken to an interview room for 5 mins to explain how I would fund my trip, explained I ran my own business working online, and once I confirmed I would not be working for a local company while there they were perfectly happy.
- pavlov 4y ago
  You need to know the local rules. If you enter the USA with a tourist visa or visa waiver (like ESTA), and tell the immigration officer that this is what you’ll be doing in the country, you’ll most likely be sent back. Foreigners need work authorization in the US to earn any kind of income — no matter if it’s paid abroad — unless the work is within the narrow categories of permitted activities under a business visa.
AmericanChopper 4y ago
I don’t know of any temporary entry visas that prohibits you from doing online work while you’re visiting. Most of them even permit you to do in-person work for local clients to some extent. People who travel constantly doing remote work on VOAs isn’t anything new, it’s just more accessible now than it used to be. I’d be very interested in seeing any case law references you have to support this novel interpretation that you’ve come up with.
- pavlov 4y ago
  It’s not hard to come up with examples. For example the United States explicitly prohibits you from doing remote work: ”[…] any noncitizen who earns an income in the US must have proper work authorization from the United States government. Working while physically present in the US, even for a foreign employer and even if any earnings are paid into a foreign bank account, will still be classed as work.“ https://www.nnuimmigration.com/can-you-work-remotely-from-us/ https://www.nnuimmigration.com/can-you-work-remotely-from-us...
  - AmericanChopper 4y ago
    Content market from an immigration consultant isn’t exactly a great reference, but let’s see what they have to say about permissible ESTA business activities: > What is the difference between permissible ESTA business activities and employment? > The key points of differentiation are that VWP activity should not deprive a US resident worker of employment opportunity, and that the traveller will not be remunerated from a US-based source. https://www.nnuimmigration.com/esta-business/ https://www.nnuimmigration.com/esta-business/ Your interpretation of the law here is highly novel. People have been legally doing remote work on temporary entry visas for decades. If this was in fact illegal, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to find some case law that supports your interpretation.
    - pavlov 4y ago
      I’m not a lawyer but in my experience it’s common advice given by professionals to non-immigrants in the US that they should avoid all remote employment without American work authorization. I was employed in the US on an L-1 visa, and my wife had an L-2 which allowed her to apply for an SSN and work authorization. The advice given by Deloitte was that she should put her existing remote foreign job on hold while waiting to receive the SSN. When I later switched to an O-1, her work authorization ended (for some reason, O-3 spouses don’t get to work like L-2 spouses do). Another immigration specialist advised us that she should not get paid abroad while on the O-3.
      - AmericanChopper 4y ago
withinboredom 4y ago
Further, tax laws are usually separate from travel laws. Most countries claim world-wide income for tax purposes if you are a resident there (with other laws defining what it means to be a tax-resident) and it doesn’t matter what visa you are on. In the US, even if you work illegally as an illegal immigrant you are required to pay taxes (which isn’t reported to immigration authorities, according to the IRS website). This is where people seem to get confused. A tourist visa might get you in the country, but there are plenty of other (tax) laws you have to abide by. For example, if you move to an EU country and work remotely for a US country that doesn’t have an EU presence, and get caught. It’s extremely likely the country could claim you are hired illegally in their country and force the company to retroactively hire you, pay employment tax, and be on the hook for VAT as well. Meanwhile, you sit in jail until they figure all that out (probably without bail since you could easily leave the country). I remember reading an article about this not too long ago, I’ll see if I can find it. But regardless, if you want to be a nomad, being familiar with local tax laws and tax-residency laws is a must-do.

by pavlov 4y ago

basisword 4y ago

Maybe it’s different when working for a company, but I’ve been self employed + worked in a foreign country under a tourist visa for 5 months. On arrival I was taken to an interview room for 5 mins to explain how I would fund my trip, explained I ran my own business working online, and once I confirmed I would not be working for a local company while there they were perfectly happy.

pavlov 4y ago
You need to know the local rules. If you enter the USA with a tourist visa or visa waiver (like ESTA), and tell the immigration officer that this is what you’ll be doing in the country, you’ll most likely be sent back. Foreigners need work authorization in the US to earn any kind of income — no matter if it’s paid abroad — unless the work is within the narrow categories of permitted activities under a business visa.

AmericanChopper 4y ago

I don’t know of any temporary entry visas that prohibits you from doing online work while you’re visiting. Most of them even permit you to do in-person work for local clients to some extent. People who travel constantly doing remote work on VOAs isn’t anything new, it’s just more accessible now than it used to be. I’d be very interested in seeing any case law references you have to support this novel interpretation that you’ve come up with.

pavlov 4y ago
It’s not hard to come up with examples. For example the United States explicitly prohibits you from doing remote work: ”[…] any noncitizen who earns an income in the US must have proper work authorization from the United States government. Working while physically present in the US, even for a foreign employer and even if any earnings are paid into a foreign bank account, will still be classed as work.“ https://www.nnuimmigration.com/can-you-work-remotely-from-us/ https://www.nnuimmigration.com/can-you-work-remotely-from-us...
- AmericanChopper 4y ago
  Content market from an immigration consultant isn’t exactly a great reference, but let’s see what they have to say about permissible ESTA business activities: > What is the difference between permissible ESTA business activities and employment? > The key points of differentiation are that VWP activity should not deprive a US resident worker of employment opportunity, and that the traveller will not be remunerated from a US-based source. https://www.nnuimmigration.com/esta-business/ https://www.nnuimmigration.com/esta-business/ Your interpretation of the law here is highly novel. People have been legally doing remote work on temporary entry visas for decades. If this was in fact illegal, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to find some case law that supports your interpretation.
  - pavlov 4y ago
    I’m not a lawyer but in my experience it’s common advice given by professionals to non-immigrants in the US that they should avoid all remote employment without American work authorization. I was employed in the US on an L-1 visa, and my wife had an L-2 which allowed her to apply for an SSN and work authorization. The advice given by Deloitte was that she should put her existing remote foreign job on hold while waiting to receive the SSN. When I later switched to an O-1, her work authorization ended (for some reason, O-3 spouses don’t get to work like L-2 spouses do). Another immigration specialist advised us that she should not get paid abroad while on the O-3.
    - AmericanChopper 4y ago

withinboredom 4y ago

Further, tax laws are usually separate from travel laws. Most countries claim world-wide income for tax purposes if you are a resident there (with other laws defining what it means to be a tax-resident) and it doesn’t matter what visa you are on. In the US, even if you work illegally as an illegal immigrant you are required to pay taxes (which isn’t reported to immigration authorities, according to the IRS website). This is where people seem to get confused. A tourist visa might get you in the country, but there are plenty of other (tax) laws you have to abide by. For example, if you move to an EU country and work remotely for a US country that doesn’t have an EU presence, and get caught. It’s extremely likely the country could claim you are hired illegally in their country and force the company to retroactively hire you, pay employment tax, and be on the hook for VAT as well. Meanwhile, you sit in jail until they figure all that out (probably without bail since you could easily leave the country). I remember reading an article about this not too long ago, I’ll see if I can find it. But regardless, if you want to be a nomad, being familiar with local tax laws and tax-residency laws is a must-do.