I have a Mexican and EU passport. May I travel to the US as a business visitor while in the process of getting the TN visa?

Upvote:0

Be very, very careful.
'conduct business' is not the same as 'perform work'.
My general rule-of-thumb is that if what you're doing could in any way be thought of as 'billable hours' then you're not 'conducting business', you're 'performing work'.
The VWP allows you to conduct business, not to perform work.

Upvote:3

There's nothing in principle wrong with using both the VWP and other types of visa to enter the US at different times, however if you are intending to carry out the same activities on both, then you may be in trouble. The US State Department provides this useful flier about business travel under the VWP (and what specifically isn't).

Without knowing the details of the work you intend to carry out, it's hard for me to say. Looks like it would fall somewhere in between the examples given as acceptable, and the examples that require a H, L, O, P or Q visa. (Assuming your employer is not a US-based company). Remember if you are caught breaking the terms of your VWP-based entry, you will never be allowed to use the VWP again, so there's good reason to be careful, even if you would likley get away with it at the border.

(Also as an aside, note that not all EU passports grant access to the VWP).

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