Internship with K1 visa before EAD

[geowrian 22,338]

What it really comes down to is if your activities are displacing a worker. By having you a an intern, is it reducing hours or making the opportunity unavailable to somebody else?

 

There isn't a black and white answer to the above. It depends on the specifics and how they are interpreted by USCIS, which is why you will see conflicting information.

[Dotagirlandboy 30]

Since I work in a salon, I might suggest instead of doing Reception work (which is almost always a paid position which could be available to someone else) being a salon assistant, which is almost always unpaid as it is the closest thing to a true internship (usually students from the cosmetology school do it while they are in school). You would be assisting the actual hair stylist with running and getting their products, mixing, getting their clients coffee or water, etc; just be aware that some states (Like mine) require you to have a license to wash hair (which is what most hair stylist really want you to do)-usually easy to get and not so expensive, just really stupid. Good luck!

[nanaaalex 49]

16 hours ago, JFH said:

Doesn't sound like it's a true internship. An internship is for the basis of training and if you've already worked in a salon I don't see what training they could be giving you. Also an intern cannot displace a current employee. Your situation sounds more like work than training. 

 

Volunteering in the true sense of the word is permitted - whereby you provide a charitable service with no expectation of anything in return. Animal shelters, church and community projects, for example. 

 

Just a general remark, not necessarily aimed at the OP: we we see this question regularly and I wonder why, with all the information in the guides and on the official government websites that make it clear you cannot work as a K-1 until you have your EAD or green card, people still pursue the K-1 path when work is important to them. 

Internship, volunteer, whatever they would want to call it. I was just asking because I wouldn't mind helping out at a salon without pay because I love my career that much.

 

I started my process in Spring 2015 and at the time the K1 was the best option. We 've been through a lot and if we would have known we would have definitely gotten married before the process and etc but unfortunately things happen. Either way everything is already paid and luckily the consulate never cancelled the paperwork even if we had our initial interview a year ago so we're not about to cancel everything now to start over. Every situation is different...

[nanaaalex 49]

11 hours ago, Dotagirlandboy said:

Since I work in a salon, I might suggest instead of doing Reception work (which is almost always a paid position which could be available to someone else) being a salon assistant, which is almost always unpaid as it is the closest thing to a true internship (usually students from the cosmetology school do it while they are in school). You would be assisting the actual hair stylist with running and getting their products, mixing, getting their clients coffee or water, etc; just be aware that some states (Like mine) require you to have a license to wash hair (which is what most hair stylist really want you to do)-usually easy to get and not so expensive, just really stupid. Good luck!

Yes I got my diploma here in 2007 so it will be easy to get my reciprocity in NY (where we're moving once I get my EAD) but from what I'm seeing on the website it's way stricter in California. It's not even worth it for me to start getting into it if I'm not staying there...I'll see what happens but thank you!

[Ontarkie 14,383]

~~Moved to Working and Traveling, from AOS P&P- As the OP is asking about volunteering before the EAD.~~