What type of visa would cause someone to be deported if they sought employment?

Question

Our daughter met a guy from the UK online - he came over intending to marry her. We have asked him why he has not yet gotten a job (been here almost 2 months) - he says his visa will not allow it - that he must get married before he can get a job, otherwise he risks being deported. Anyone know the scoop?

Answer 1

He is most likely on a tourist visa- those are issued for anywhere from 1 to 6 months and allow the person to stay and travel thru United States, or a student visa (for people that want to go to college in US).  He would only be allowed to work legally if he A) married a US citizen, or B) was sponsored by an employer (he would need to find a company that is willing to hire him and process the paperwork for his permanent residency on his behalf.) And yes, he is risking getting deportation if he tries to get  a job now, while on a tourist visa.

Answer 2

Tourist visas do not allow you to work.  Neither do student visas.  If you work with a tourist visa, you can get deported.

Even if he marries an American, he will not be automatically granted permission to work as he came over on the wrong visa that would allow an instant adjustment of status.  In order to come over here and file for an adjustment of status after marriage, he would need to have a K-1 visa.

Marrying on a tourist visa entails a long and drawn out process that usually entails the foreign national returning to his country of origin until background checks and health screenings are run.  It's also often considered a possible fraudulent marriage.  Being bumped through the fraud division isn't fun nor quick.

Answer 3

The only visa that automatically allows employment is an employment visa. Depending upon what status he came in under, he can indeed be deported for working. More importantly if he was not honest about his intentions when he entered the United States he is also guilty of committing fraud by misrepresenting himself. If you are more specific on his current status (What writing is on the stamp in his passport?) we can help more.