Legal Question in Immigration Law in Minnesota
Entering u.S.A. To complete freelance assignment
I am a full-time self-employed freelance writer, based in Canada. I regularly write for a variety of U.S. magazines, via telecommuting. However, I have just received an assignment which requires that I travel to a U.S. city to interview a music artist - in person - for one of my U.S. publications. My question is: may I travel to the U.S. on a visitor visa to complete my assignment? What do I tell the Immigration officer at the border/airport? Or, will I get in 'trouble' without a work-related visa? I only anticipate being in the country for the duration of the interview, and I will not be doing any other work-related activities. It is also worth mentioning that I am a Canadian landed immigrant/UK citizen.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Entering u.S.A. To complete freelance assignment
From a brief and cursory review of your facts, it appears that you may qualify for a Media and Press Visa (I Visa).
If you are a representative of a press, radio, film or other information organization, and you are traveling to the United States as a foreign media representative, you may be eligible for an I visa. To qualify for this visa, you must be traveling to work on informational or educational material, and you must be able to demonstrate that you are an accredited media representative. Employees of U.S. media organizations are not eligible for this category of visa. Freelance media workers may qualify for this type of visa, if they are working under contract on a product to be used abroad by an informational or cultural medium to disseminate information or news.
In order to qualify for an I visa, freelance media representatives must present press credentials and a valid contract from a foreign media organization for the work in the U.S. Media representatives and freelance workers working on materials intended for commercial entertainment and advertising are not qualified for an I visa, and should contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") about applying for a temporary worker visa.
To determine if you qualify, or if you have any questions about applying for this Visa, please telephone our office at (212) 618-1830 to speak with one of our Attorneys.
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