Musician wants to immigrate ! O-1 or P-3

[AmyWrites 593]

You can't work on a tourist visa.

[kzielu 1,149]

I found a solution !

Im gonna get a standard tourist visa first.

Then I found out that you can make < $600 a year from ONE employer tax-free. Freelancers have different employers all the time. And even if it should occur that Id get a weekly gig at the same place or something, then there is the W-8BEN Form, which takes 30% off my wage and (as far as I've read) is tax.

Whatever happens within or after those 3 months, I can't say, but will find out. Its a start and the only way for a foreigner to work as a freelancer in the US. (as far as Im concerned...)

No, it's not. First you'll have to explain at US embassy why a VWP country citizen is applying for a tourist visa. Make sure to mention you want to work there as freelancer...

Second, as noted above, you can't work - regardless of whatever tax regulation you found.

[Justine+David 218]

The consulate at Germany will be very suspcious about why you want to get a tourist visa when you can enter on VWP up to 90 days...keep in mind that if they deny you a tourist visa, you'll never be able to use VWP again. That's a huge risk to take...

[aaron2020 11,651]

I found a solution !

Im gonna get a standard tourist visa first.

Then I found out that you can make < $600 a year from ONE employer tax-free. Freelancers have different employers all the time. And even if it should occur that Id get a weekly gig at the same place or something, then there is the W-8BEN Form, which takes 30% off my wage and (as far as I've read) is tax.

Whatever happens within or after those 3 months, I can't say, but will find out. Its a start and the only way for a foreigner to work as a freelancer in the US. (as far as Im concerned...)

Oh gee.

First, the W-8ben is not for you to declare illegal work income. It is used entirely for a different purpose than what you intend.

Second, it is illegal for you to earn even $1 in a visitor visa or the VWP.

You are seriously misunderstanding US laws. Do you know that even illegal aliens not authorized to live or work in the US are required to report their illegal work income on US tax returns? Just because there are tax laws requiring the reporting if illegally earned income, it doesn't make the work legal.

Sorry but your plan to work for less than $600 and report it on the W-8ben will get you a ban from the US.

[HK12 273]

"Travel Purposes Not Permitted on Visitor Visas

These are some examples of activities that require different categories of visas and cannot be done on while on a visitor visa:

- study

- employment

- paid performances, or any professional performance before a paying audience

- arrival as a crewmember on a ship or aircraft

- work as foreign press, radio, film, journalists, and other information media

- permanent residence in the U.S. ..."

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1262.html#notravel