Can a F1 Visa Holder Invest?

[puranjay]

Are F1 Visa holders allowed to invest while in the US? Say stocks, internet real estates? Can a F1 visa holder, say, earn money online (from developed websites, etc.?)

[PraetorianXI]

If a person is on an F-1 and is therefore not eligible to work,
passive investment is generally permitted. I see the purchase and
sale of real estate as similar to the purchase and sale of stock,
which is normally seen as passive investment. It is possible that if
the income became high (how high is anyone's guess) that USCIS would
claim that you were "employed". I think that the more active you
become in the management and renovation of the properties, the greater
the liklihood of USCIS claiming employment.

You can not however, make money by developing/designing websites and charging for it.

[puranjay]

thanks for the response.

What about domain names? And what would you classify as 'high' income? I'm earning quite a bit from my investment in domain names, but its not a regular paid 'income'. I only get a return on investment, pretty much like stocks