Apply for ESTA if you work for a US company as a contractor

Upvote:7

Let's answer the questions you asked and some of the unasked ones.

  1. There is nothing wrong with visiting the US for pleasure, even if you are a contractor to a US firm. As a contractor you are not being paid for time you are not working, so you don't fall foul of the "not receiving money from US sources" rules.
  2. In general wanting to spend three weeks for tourism in the same city as your employer might raise suspicions. However Boston is a popular tourist destination, and coupled with wanting to visit your girlfriend who lives there makes your trip very reasonable. Having some pre-planned activities, or at least knowing what you are going to be doing would help your case.
  3. In case you were wondering, you would be allowed to use a VWP to make a work visit to your employer/customer, or to combine a visit to your girlfriend with a visit to your customer. A VWP visit allows you to do all the activities you would be allowed to do on a B1/B2 visa, which means you can meet with your employer for planning, discussions, evaluations etc. related to your work. You might want to read up on the details of the permitted activities. Three weeks is not an unreasonable length of time to spend on those activities.
  4. Writing 'student' as your occupation would be a bad move, as it omits material information and so would be considered a lie. Lying on an ESTA application might attract a ban from the US, which would seriously impact your career.
  5. Writing 'self-employed', or giving the name of your own contracting company as your employer is probably acceptable. They may ask you additional questions.

More post

Search Posts

Related post