Do I need a work visa or is an ESTA ok for a short trip to the US

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You are not eligible for a work visa as these are for people working for US companies.

The visa waiver program (VWP), commonly but imprecisely referred to as "ESTA," permits visitors to enter both "for pleasure" and "for business." These are the categories corresponding to B-2 and B-1 status, respectively.

I doubt you would qualify as a business visitor, because you aren't traveling to the US for business reasons. Instead, you are traveling as a tourist and would like to engage in incidental activity relating to your job during your trip. whether this is permitted depends on the nature of the activity.

For example, it is certainly permissible for a tourist (more precisely, "visitor for pleasure") in the US to have phone conversations and e-mail and other communication with work colleagues. It is also certainly not permissible for a tourist to manufacture or sell tangible goods in the US on behalf of a foreign employer.

"Attending meetings" is probably acceptable, but "completing work" is probably not. Canada explicitly allows remote work, but many countries, including the US, have not updated their policies to reflect the present-day reality of remote work. Your best bet is to avoid doing any substantive work while you are in the US and not to mention the possibility of working remotely if you speak with any US officials.

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