B1 Visa w/ext for 10 years w/no plan to depart

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nemosineiudex

New Member
I know someone who has been living in the US with a B1 Visa for about a decade, he gets extensions annually. He is supporting himself by working in the US. He is self-employed in a cash-based business, so there are no records, and therefore no taxes being paid. He has made no attempt to adjust status and has no intention to do so as long as he is able to renew his Visa each year. He has not returned to his country during this time. He will be renewing his foreign passport through his country's consulate in New York in a couple of months. This is just an overview of the situation and is not the complete story, which I still do not know.

How has he been able to get a temporary, non-immigrant Visa extended for 10 years? Others follow the rules and spend years waiting to get into this country legally. Then they work hard to become part of the mainstream and accept their share of the burden of taxes. I did not know this person's entire story until recently. Now I am really bothered by this situation and want to understand how he has gotten away with this for so long. I am not certain how to handle this situation.
 
nemosineiudex said:
I know someone who has been living in the US with a B1 Visa for about a decade, he gets extensions annually. He is supporting himself by working in the US. He is self-employed in a cash-based business, so there are no records, and therefore no taxes being paid. He has made no attempt to adjust status and has no intention to do so as long as he is able to renew his Visa each year. He has not returned to his country during this time. He will be renewing his foreign passport through his country's consulate in New York in a couple of months. This is just an overview of the situation and is not the complete story, which I still do not know.

How has he been able to get a temporary, non-immigrant Visa extended for 10 years? Others follow the rules and spend years waiting to get into this country legally. Then they work hard to become part of the mainstream and accept their share of the burden of taxes. I did not know this person's entire story until recently. Now I am really bothered by this situation and want to understand how he has gotten away with this for so long. I am not certain how to handle this situation.
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As you stated, you really know nothing. You merely have suspicions.

There are lots of different types of visas and different types of employment. Your minimal observations would be perfectly legal for certain visa holders such as TNs or E-1s, or long term students w/EADs, or even refugees and aslyees or people granted withholding of removal (the last group must get new EADs annually for which there is no fee BUT annual contact means that ICE can find them IF and WHEN the time comes to actually remove them).
 
Triple Citizen said:
How certain are you that this person is in the US on B-1 and he has been getting extensions for the last decade?
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I have known this person very well for the past three years. During that time he has been getting extensions each January. I had copies of his passport and visa before moving to my new home (that was the reason for the delay in my response, I have been busy remodeling), the copies may still be packed in a box in my garage. I did not have much understanding of the system until recently, so I thought nothing of the extensions. But now that I have learned more and have become involved with the refugee and asylee community through a nonprofit organization that I work with this situation is a concern. He is very vague about how he is able to do this when I ask him. Though I know he has a current visa. I believe he is misrepresenting his situation to obtain it and I know he is working without authorization. I know about him working without authorization because I know he is struggling to make ends meet and we have talked about him not being able to obtain a legitimate job because of his status.
 
Have you actually seen valid I-94s for the last 10 years?

nemosineiudex said:
I have known this person very well for the past three years. During that time he has been getting extensions each January. I had copies of his passport and visa before moving to my new home (that was the reason for the delay in my response, I have been busy remodeling), the copies may still be packed in a box in my garage. I did not have much understanding of the system until recently, so I thought nothing of the extensions. But now that I have learned more and have become involved with the refugee and asylee community through a nonprofit organization that I work with this situation is a concern. He is very vague about how he is able to do this when I ask him. Though I know he has a current visa. I believe he is misrepresenting his situation to obtain it and I know he is working without authorization. I know about him working without authorization because I know he is struggling to make ends meet and we have talked about him not being able to obtain a legitimate job because of his status.
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