In this video, we’ll talk about options for somebody who is here on a tourist visa,
to stay in the United States, get a job, work, and all the good stuff. So watch this video,
and I'll see you on the other side. So in this video, we're going to answer a question
from one of our YouTube subscribers. Before we dive into the question, if you’re here
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We love to connect with our clients everywhere and on every platform. The whole purpose of
this channel is for you, to educate you, to provide you the latest information about immigration,
and also, to answer a lot of your pressing questions. So, let's dive into our question
here in the video, “Hello, if I came to the US with a tourist visa, but would like
to stay in here and find a job legally, what would I do? And how can you help?” So, a
lot of our clients and a lot of our YouTube visitors are actually in the United States,
either on a student visa or a tourist visa or some other temporary status. So in this
case, how can a person who is here on a tourist visa can stay here and find a job and do all
the good things? So, first of all, remember that when somebody comes to the United States
on a tourist visa, typically, they're getting a right to stay here for up to six months.
Typically, on a permit called I-94, which is an electronic permit issued by the CBP
that states the duration of time a person can stay in the US upon entry. Sometimes,
the CBP officer can give you less time, six months is not guaranteed, but typically, they
won't give you more than six months. Now, what it means is that if you come here on
a tourist visa, you really have to understand that your main purpose is to be a tourist,
is to visit, maybe come here for leisure, vacation to visit friends and family. The
purpose is not to work. So, when you enter the port of entry, and if they ask you what
is the purpose of your visit, if you tell them, I'm coming here to work or looking for
a job, and you have a tourist visa, most likely you'll be denied. So, what you have to understand
is the main purpose of a tourist visa is not to work, look for work, or anything like that.
It's really for leisure and tourism. So, it is understandable that some people come here
as visitors and then they form an intention to find a job and work. That is fine. But
if your intention is to come here and work and you're going to use a tourist visa, that's
not a good thing, and most likely you'll be denied entry. So, what if you're here already
on a tourist visa, and now you decided that you want to work here. So, first of all, the
process would be some sort of change of status. Now, if you have some sort of skill like a
degree or education, you may be able to get an H1B visa if you find a qualified employer
to be able to give you a job. We've done quite a few videos on the H1B visa. And we'll link
here one of the videos in the cards about what the H1B visa is. But if you're here as
a tourist, and you have an employer that is offering you a job, one of the options could
be an H1B visa, which is a work visa that would allow you to live and work in the US.
The problem with the H1B visa is that you can only file for it once a year, in April,
and is subject to a lottery. So, even if you file for it in April and get selected in the
lottery, you're not going to be able to work until October of that fiscal year. And remember,
you only have six months in the tourist visa. And even if you file an extension, that extension
is not going to be included in the application, because the visa typically will start in October.
So, change of status with H1B is not really feasible, if you’re here on a tourist visa.
You can actually find an employer having filed for an H1B visa, and then you can go back
to your home country and wait for that to be approved. So, that's one option. Now, if
you're already here in the US, and you want to be able to stay and work, and if you have
some money, you're able to apply for an E2 visa and start your own company. You can start
your own small business. And many countries are on the list, there's a list of countries
based on a treaty between the United States and some of these countries. So, you are able
to change your status from a tourist visa to an E2 visa if you have money and a good
idea to start a business. So, that's kind of another option. Some people come here on
a tourist visa and then they realize they want to stay here and go to school, for example.
So, you can also change your status from a tourist visa to a student visa. Again, the
process has changed in the past year so you essentially have to file an extension of your
tourist visa at the same time when you file for a change of status to a student visa,
but that's another option. And some people that come here on a tourist visa they visit,
and they fall in love and they meet a US citizen and sometimes, you can change status from
a tourist visa to a green card by marrying a US citizen. So, these are just some of the
few options that are possible. If you come here on a tourist visa, one of what we mentioned
is a change to a work visa like the H1B. Another one is maybe starting a business under the
E2 visa, that's another option. If you meet a US citizen, fall in love, and get married.
And our option is, of course, change your status by Adjustment of Status from a tourist
visa to a green card by doing that based on marriage. So, the bottom line is that a tourist
visa is designed for tourism only, for leisure pleasure, visiting family members, and things
like that. If you do want to do something else, like get a job, or get a work visa,
remember that, yes, you can come with a tourist visa to the United States physically and be
here but remember that if you do find the job, and most likely you have to go back home,
apply for the visa and then return with a work visa and that’ll be the most appropriate
and most feasible way to do so. So, if you liked this video, make sure you click the
like button, share it with a friend, leave us a comment. Let us know what other videos
you want to see. And most importantly, subscribe to our channel. Thanks for watching, and we'll
see you in our next video.