Can I Freelance on My Nonimmigrant Visa? Limitations and Opportunities in the US Immigration System

It is more and more common for people to want to structure their careers free from the ties of a standard employer/employee relationship. What used to be the standard nine-to-five job with the same employer is becoming less and less suited to the new ways that people work. For many people who work in the arts especially, working on projects for multiple employers is the best way to structure their work. However, doing myriad projects for multiple clients or employers can be challenging under the current immigration system and visa structures. While the US has a clear interest in protecting US workers and ensuring foreign nationals do not come to the US without actual work lined up, the immigration system fails to properly allow for the increasing trend of people working under a freelance model.

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