Is it illegal to work as a freelancer while being in the US or europe as a tourist?
04-11-2013, 09:35 PM
I'll give you my best guess based on being a foreign student studying in the US for a total of three years. Short answer: completely non-legal.
Longer answer: Where are your clients located?
While technically, doing work for any sort of remuneration while in the US if you do not have an appropriate visa is not legal, if you are doing work for a client not located in the US, its not something likely to be prosecuted and is kinda of a questionable grey area.
If you do have clients in the US, but all your communications are online/phone and for all they know you are not in the US, you are unlikely to ever have any trouble. However, if you use the fact that you are on a tourist visa to visit clients and conduct face to face interactions, then you are more at risk of running into trouble.
However, the likelihood in either case of your activities ever being noticed is low. I wouldn't worry too much.
Also, to the best of my knowledge, it is not actually illegal to work without appropriate documentation in the US of A. It just isn't legal and grounds for deportation/future denial of visas.
Longer answer: Where are your clients located?
While technically, doing work for any sort of remuneration while in the US if you do not have an appropriate visa is not legal, if you are doing work for a client not located in the US, its not something likely to be prosecuted and is kinda of a questionable grey area.
If you do have clients in the US, but all your communications are online/phone and for all they know you are not in the US, you are unlikely to ever have any trouble. However, if you use the fact that you are on a tourist visa to visit clients and conduct face to face interactions, then you are more at risk of running into trouble.
However, the likelihood in either case of your activities ever being noticed is low. I wouldn't worry too much.
Also, to the best of my knowledge, it is not actually illegal to work without appropriate documentation in the US of A. It just isn't legal and grounds for deportation/future denial of visas.
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