Ask HN: Should I work in the US on a tourist visa and get paid via PayPal?
I'm working with a company for a few months remotely, and now they ask me to come aboard to states and work from there for a few months. But they can't sponsor a J-1 work (internship) visa and I only have a tourist visa (B1/B2) valid for a couple of years from now.
Should I move to the states for a few (2-3) months as a friend/visitor and get paid via PayPal or some other means?
What are your thoughts ? Thanks !
4 comments
[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 10.2 ms ] thread…please dear g–d don’t do this. If you are caught you can be deported and banned from re–entry to the US for anywhere from 5-10 years (on any visa).
1. Working without authorization is unlawful, and could subject you to deportation, as well as severe difficulties entering the US in the future.
2. Entering the US on a B visa, knowing that you plan to work, basically involves lying to the immigration officer when you arrive and are asked for the purpose of your visit. This constitutes immigration fraud, and its consequences are 100x worse than working under the table. You can be barred from entering the US forever - not just for a few years - or even jailed for a criminal offense.
3. Even if none of the above happens, at some point you'll want to renew your B visa, or apply for some other immigration benefit. The application form will ask you whether you've ever committed a US immigration violation. You will have to answer "no" to have any hope of getting the benefit, which will be untrue, and thus will also constitute immigration fraud, with the same consequences as above.
4. A US employer who knowingly seeks to hire unauthorized workers is also breaking the law, plus this is just a super-scummy way to do business.
5. If you do this, you can't "undo" it, and it will interfere with your sleep for the rest of your life. Seriously, you don't want to be looking over your shoulder, worrying about the consequences, every time you have some dealings with the US in any way.
HTH