SciResearcher
New Member
I am a Canadian living in Canada, with a full time job in Canada. However, I also do some freelance work for a US company on the side. I was planning to go to a meeting with this company in the US, but just got turned back at the border on the grounds that I don't have a work permit for this type of work. I had thought I could go to the meeting as a B-2 business traveler.
I do the consultancy work at a university and had discussed with their international students office before starting work. Neither that office, nor the HR office at the university, nor any information I found online suggested I needed a work permit to work outside the US (but be paid by a US company).
Do I need a permit, and if so, what type of permit/visa covers this situation?
Also, I was allowed to withdraw my application at the border, but I was finger-printed and entered into something called the Enforce/Ident system. What are the consequences of this for future travel to the US for either vacation or business purposes?
Finally, the border agent seemed a bit fixated on the issue of taxes. He kept asking whether I pay US federal taxes and saying that if I had a work permit I could pay them. However, I DO pay US federal taxes on my income from the consultancy work (the university automatically withholds the taxes), and I told the agent as much. But my understanding is that I don't actually need to pay taxes to the US, but rather should pay taxes to Canada on this income since the work is actually performed in Canada. Any advice on this issue would also be appreciated.
Thanks!
I do the consultancy work at a university and had discussed with their international students office before starting work. Neither that office, nor the HR office at the university, nor any information I found online suggested I needed a work permit to work outside the US (but be paid by a US company).
Do I need a permit, and if so, what type of permit/visa covers this situation?
Also, I was allowed to withdraw my application at the border, but I was finger-printed and entered into something called the Enforce/Ident system. What are the consequences of this for future travel to the US for either vacation or business purposes?
Finally, the border agent seemed a bit fixated on the issue of taxes. He kept asking whether I pay US federal taxes and saying that if I had a work permit I could pay them. However, I DO pay US federal taxes on my income from the consultancy work (the university automatically withholds the taxes), and I told the agent as much. But my understanding is that I don't actually need to pay taxes to the US, but rather should pay taxes to Canada on this income since the work is actually performed in Canada. Any advice on this issue would also be appreciated.
Thanks!