4 ms·

Can you work in the US as a freelancer without the H1B visa?

• scottydelta 12y ago
  Yes, absolutely. The companies pay you via either one of the freelancing sites or direct bank transfer(paypal isn't working in India right now) and you pay your taxes in India.
  • fennecfoxen 12y ago
    I'm pretty sure that's directly at odds with what the State Department has to say about things. If you care about the legality of what you're doing, use extreme caution here and consider getting real legal advice.
    • scottydelta 12y ago
      How is a US based company hiring someone via odesk and paying him via odesk illegal?
      • crazypyro 12y ago
        Working in the U.S., even on odesk, without a proper visa is illegal.
        • scottydelta 12y ago
          As an indian, living in India and working on Odesk is not illegal. I don't need a visa or anything to work via Odesk.
          • crazypyro 12y ago
            Except the question was not about living in India, it was about living in the United States. If you live in the United States and you say you are working from India, you are committing fraud AND violating immigration laws. If you live in the United States and you say you are working from the United States, you are just violating immigration laws. Its about where you are physically located and as the original comment I replied to was referring to being physically located in the U.S., it would be illegal.
  • crazypyro 12y ago
    This is completely illegal.
• gorbachev 12y ago
  No, you can not work IN the US as a freelancer without a visa. If a company tries this with you, avoid at all costs, since it's illegal and could land you in quite a bit of trouble. If you ever get deported from the US for immigration violations, you're banned from entering the US again. Forever. You can work outside of the US for a US based company, though.