Online Employment need work visa in US?

[BelzMark 14]

Hi. Does anyone know if I would need a work visa to be in the states for 6 months? I am a UK citizen who works for a French company working online so it would not be a US company or branch I could get to sponsor. 

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

Confusing question as your profile & timeline reference a K1 visa.

 

what visa would you be on for your 6-month stay?

[Boiler 43,433]

Past post suggest a K1.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

25 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Past post suggest a K1.

Seems inconsistent with an implied 6-month temporary stay in the US?

[Boiler 43,433]

2 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Seems inconsistent with an implied 6-month temporary stay in the US?

True

[BelzMark 14]

I actually have to change that info. I didn't pursue the k1 visa at the end as my fiance and I seperated. His father died and mother got cancer so it was all just too much for him to deal with.  But as I have a lot of friends and loved where I had been staying when I visited I wanted to stay for myself. I wanted to know if I needed a work visa to stay in the states for 6 months and continue working for my foreign company, or if I could go on a B2 visa. 

Edited November 20, 2018 by BelzMark

[Boiler 43,433]

VWP is good for 90 days and does not allow work.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

21 minutes ago, BelzMark said:

I actually have to change that info. I didn't pursue the k1 visa at the end as my fiance and I seperated. His father died and mother got cancer so it was all just too much for him to deal with.  But as I have a lot of friends and loved where I had been staying when I visited I wanted to stay for myself. I wanted to know if I needed a work visa to stay in the states for 6 months and continue working for my foreign company, or if I could go on a B2 visa. 

It’s a very murky area where at least one friend of mine got legal advice that it’s not allowed. You’re not coming in on a visa where marriage to a citizen will absolve you from immigration violations, but on a status where crossing the line can get you a ban on entry. You can figure out very quickly if you’re allowed to do this in your B2 visa application/interview, when you answer how you will be supporting yourself during the trip. 

Bottom line: You can’t get a work visa for this and you can’t do it on a B2. Probably best to take boiler’s advice and visit on a VWP for a shorter time frame without working. Bear in mind that if you are denied a B2, it will make it harder to get an approved ESTA and enter on VWP any time soon either.