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mahakjuneja
Community Member

Can H4 Visa holder in US work on upwork?

I am Indian citizen and have 5 years of intensive work experience as QA Engineer. I am currently in USA on H4 visa (dependent visa).

Can I work and earn by working as a freelancer on upwork from US?

10 REPLIES 10
bobafett999
Community Member

Make google your best friend.  It is my understanding that no dependent visal holders can work in US unless they have EAD.  In some cases H4's are granted EAD based on some criteria.

nkocendova
Community Member

Hi Mahak,

Please check with a legal or immigration adviser to ensure that the visa or work permit that you have will allow you to legally work while in the US. Also note that currently we are unable to accept a visa for location verification which is required for working on US-Only jobs on Upwork. With regard to location verification, only a US passport, state ID or green card would be accepted.

~Nina

But, will upwork allow me to apply for outside-US jobs on its portal and work for them being in US. Payments can be, therefore, made to my India account.
I am just exploring possible options and I may be wrong. Please provide your feedback as per upwork policies.

Mahak,

If you have verified that your visa allows you to work in the US, then you will be able to use Upwork to apply to non US-only jobs. Note however, that only payment options available in the location associated with your profile will show up on your account as available options for disbursements.

~Nina

Hi! Even I am in the same senario with a H4 visa. Were you able to freelance in US? Or was it possible for you to freelance for Indian projects?

No dear, I found no such opportunity. It's quiet boring to stay all day without any work.

I know this won't help with income, but it may be possible to keep your skills updated if you volunteer with a local non-profit organization or NGO. Check with immigration, but I would think that as long as you're not getting paid, you could help out locally until your work visa is approved. But don't quote me on that, it's just a suggestion.

Hi , have you started working using this upwork freelancer ?? Please respond..it will be very useful me.. it's really boring to sit in home and wasting my career..

No. It's not possible to work.

Welcome to Upwork, Saranya! I would suggest that you start by reading up on the resources we have compiled here. Hopefully, the tips on the threads, blog posts, and articles will help you get started on Upwork. Pay attention to the Safety First! section, and these tips for avoiding questionable jobs, as these will help you work safely on Upwork. 

Afterwards, if you have any questions feel free to follow up in the Community and we'll gladly help you with them.

~ Bojan
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