Do online work in the US if you&#39;re not a permanent resident
<p>Is doing online work (making websites, programming, graphics, writing etc) in the US illegal if you're not a permanent resident and you are on a tourist visa? </p>

<p>Could you do it and get paid on a non-US bank account or PayPal without getting caught? What would be the consequences if caught? </p>

<p>Edit: as a user pointed out in a comment, I didn't specify whether the worker is a contractor or employee and whether the employer is a US person or entity or not. If you could please answer telling about both cases it'd be great. </p>

<p>Generally, yes, it is illegal to work in the US while present as a visitor.  There are some exceptions for &quot;business visitors&quot; who must travel to the US to meet with clients or to supervise work being performed by US workers, but even then such a person should be in B-1 or WB status as a business visitor rather than B-2 or WT status as a tourist.</p>
<p>Working for a US employer is definitely prohibited, since, as noted by <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/eir/visa-guide/b-1-business-visitor/b-1-visa" rel="nofollow noreferrer">USCIS</a>, income from a US source is disqualifying for a B-1 visa:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Requirement 3 - You cannot draw any salary from a United States entity.</p>
<p>It is permissible to conduct business activities on behalf of a foreign employer, but no salary may come from a U.S. source. In some cases, however, you may receive reimbursement from a U.S. source for reasonable incidental expenses incurred while in the United States.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As to working for foreign employers, you can have a look at <a href="https://travel.stackexchange.com">Travel Stack Exchange</a>, where the question <a href="https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/12771/i-want-to-travel-to-the-usa-while-working-remotely-for-my-non-us-employer">I want to travel to the USA while working remotely for my non-US employer</a> has several anecdotal answers describing visa denials and entry refusals for people who disclosed that they were planning to work remotely for their foreign employers.  However, I found no unambiguous prohibition in <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Title 8 of the US Code</a> nor in <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations</a>.  It is, however, very unlikely that it would be worthwhile to pursue a court challenge to the current policy.</p>
<p>As an aside, Canada has a different policy on this, as outlined in <a href="https://travel.stackexchange.com/a/89602/19400">this Travel.SE answer</a> (note that the category of &quot;temporary resident&quot; includes tourists):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Here's what the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says about <a href="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/work/about.asp" rel="nofollow noreferrer">What kind of activities are not considered to be “work”?</a>:</p>
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<p>long distance (by telephone or internet) work done by a temporary resident whose employer is outside Canada and who is remunerated from outside Canada;</p>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>

united-states internet employment visa