A question I didn't know where to put...

Fox The Cave

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...well I thought i'd come here for this, since I really don't know where else I could post this question.

As a student who's soon going to be emigrating to the USA to attend San Diego State University (don't judge me, I couldn't resist!), i'm going to naturally be on a Student Visa. I'm a British citizen btw. However, a student visa naturally means i'm not allowed to work anywhere that isn't on campus, lest the black helicopters swarm in and kick my ass back to Britain immediately.

Problem: I'm not gonna name which one, but I own a videoblog that makes a fair bit of money through advertisers and selling T shirts. Does owning this videoblog that produces me money count as an infringement on my student visa, cause technically i'm getting paid, so i'm "working", and that's not allowed.

So I thought i'd ask you folk, since a lot of you are very knowledgeable...will I be allowed to keep making money through this? What about if I have all the money paid to a bank account in the UK? Am I allowed then?

Thanks for any responses!
 

stephenf

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I don't Know the answer to your question.However,I would suggest you ask the American office were you obtained your visa.
 

Maryn

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I have no idea, but I suspect the reply would keep a handful of attorneys fairly busy. Factors to consider might include
  • Where is the host server located?
  • Where are the payments banked?
  • Where do you promote the videoblog?
My guess is that if any of those answers include the US, you might have a problem.

You could consider gifting or selling it to a trusted friend or relative, becoming a contributor, not an owner, during your college years in the US, then getting it back.

Maryn, using common sense rather than legal knowledge
 

Fox The Cave

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Would that work? If all the money got transferred to someone else's bank account, then they just transferred it to me, i'm not getting paid for any services. Someone else is, and they're just happening to give that money to me.

...or is that fraud?
 

MaryMumsy

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IANAL

Yes, check with the US embassy or consulate where you got your visa. My gut reaction is that this would not count as 'working' in their definitions. I think they are more concerned about you getting a job at the local (off campus) pizza parlor or video store than an online business you already had. The off campus thing has to do with the type of visa, you wouldn't be able to get a work visa to come and work at the video store, so you shouldn't be able to work there on a student visa.

MM
 

BenPanced

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Would that work? If all the money got transferred to someone else's bank account, then they just transferred it to me, i'm not getting paid for any services. Someone else is, and they're just happening to give that money to me.

...or is that fraud?
IANAL, either, but that might come across as incredibly dodgy and you'd have a lot of explaining to do.
 

Bookewyrme

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I highly reccommend contacting your University's International Office. They are very very knowledgeable about exactly this kind of question, and since you will soon be paying them massive amounts of money, they are overjoyed to help you, too. The only problem, of course, will be communication, due to time differences, but emails should be sufficient for this sort of thing. I also recommend, get it sorted before you go! I've just recently done the same (student visa) thing, though the opposite direction (US to UK) and I found the International office my best resource.
 

Fox The Cave

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Thanks for the opinions, anyone else have any 2 cents to chip in?

I'll be contacting their international office shortly, i'll let you know what they say. They actually have a Facebook group run by the International office of SDSU created so you can ask these sorts of questions - very handy.