Which Visa is required to start self employment as UBER driver in US?

[abhijitak]

Hi, I am a mechanical engineer & work with a heavy engineering MNC in India since last 25 years. Recently i visited my sister-in-law (she stays in Buffalo, NY) on B2 visa. My B1/B2 visa is valid till 2026. I don't have any blood relative in US.
I am passionate about driving & hence during my visit, i got fascinated towards opportunity of being a UBER driver.
Please let me know, which kind of Visa i should possess for such self employment. What are the other documents required?

Regards,
Abhijit

[rayb]

You need an employment-based visa or an immigrant visa to legally work in the U.S. Your B2 visa does not allow you to legally work in the U.S.

--Ray B

Hi, I am a mechanical engineer & work with a heavy engineering MNC in India since last 25 years. Recently i visited my sister-in-law (she stays in Buffalo, NY) on B2 visa. My B1/B2 visa is valid till 2026. I don't have any blood relative in US.
I am passionate about driving & hence during my visit, i got fascinated towards opportunity of being a UBER driver.
Please let me know, which kind of Visa i should possess for such self employment. What are the other documents required?

Regards,
Abhijit

[daggit]

I am passionate about driving & hence during my visit, i got fascinated towards opportunity of being a UBER driver.

Does UBER offer employment in your home country, if driving is such a passion of yours? Ola Cabs appears to be an option in India as well.

[abhijitak]

You need an employment-based visa or an immigrant visa to legally work in the U.S. Your B2 visa does not allow you to legally work in the U.S.

--Ray B

Thanks Ray for the feedback.
By any chance, do you have any idea if B1 visa will suffice the self employment requirements?

[abhijitak]

Does UBER offer employment in your home country, if driving is such a passion of yours? Ola Cabs appears to be an option in India as well.

Hi Daggit,
UBER & Ola both operates in India, but the driving conditions in India are horrible. Moreover, due to very high gas price, total net earnings are very less. Both these aspects are superior in US.

[TarCas]

You cannot come here on a b1/b2 then work. It is people like you that have completely spoilt the visa system for genuine visitors.

From your post it seems like, you want to come here on a b1/b2 then be a Uber driver and then never leave. That will never work.

[abhijitak]

You cannot come here on a b1/b2 then work. It is people like you that have completely spoilt the visa system for genuine visitors.

From your post it seems like, you want to come here on a b1/b2 then be a Uber driver and then never leave. That will never work.

You are getting me wrong. I won't do anything which is not within the legal framework. That's the reason i have raised the query on this forum. I am a bit confused, if UBER driver is self employed or employee of UBER. I know, if its employee of UBER, then I need to have H1B visa sponsored by UBER. I just want to know, which kind of VISA is required for self employment & if UBER driving comes under self employment.
Moreover, being a qualified engineer with @ 25 years of experience, its not difficult for me to get H1B in my domain. But I just don't want to continue in the same profession. Hope you will understand.

[daggit]

You are getting me wrong. I won't do anything which is not within the legal framework. That's the reason i have raised the query on this forum. I am a bit confused, if UBER driver is self employed or employee of UBER. I know, if its employee of UBER, then I need to have H1B visa sponsored by UBER. I just want to know, which kind of VISA is required for self employment & if UBER driving comes under self employment.
Moreover, being a qualified engineer with @ 25 years of experience, its not difficult for me to get H1B in my domain. But I just don't want to continue in the same profession. Hope you will understand.

What US visitors don't seem to understand is.. it's simply not a matter of ".. what kind of visa for blah blah blah..". There is no such thing as a self employment visa. UBER does not seem to be lacking in US-based drivers to the point of making visas available for foreign nationals.

The H1b visas the US makes available are for highly skilled, temporary positions that currently lack available US nationals. If getting an H1B visa is 'not difficult' for you, what has prevented you from going for it? You seem to be here on a B2 visa that is substantially more difficult to get than an H1. A peek at the H1 subforum provides a sense of the number of Indians here on an H1. Although the H1b program is chock-full of substantial fraud from certain countries, people are still arriving in the US by the boatload.

TarCas makes a valid point about B2 visitors falling in love with certain facets of the US as soon as they arrive and wishing to stay and convert; thereby making the B2 process cumbersome for future applicants from their country. What suddenly happened to those strong ties to home that were part of the implied promise to the interviewing officer to return back home?

[inadmissible]

You need an IR or CR type visa to work here as an Uber driver