Can an f1 visa student work for an employer outside US with payment in foreign currency to a foreign account?

This is an interesting question. The typical answer from an immigration attorney would be "no, don't do it because any time an immigration officer comes across an atypical case they always error on the side of caution, i.e., that you were working here in the U.S. without permission and thus, in violation of your visa." However, that said, the purpose of the law is to prevent you from displacing a potential U.S. citizen worker and, since the company is based in your home country, I do not see how you would be displacing a U.S. citizen worker. In short, I do not believe you would be in violation of your status if you worked for a company back home, but immigration may disagree with me and so you have to question yourself "is it worth it?"

This "general" question comes up often and you get as many different answers as lawyers who respond. Many have the view "if in doubt, don't do it' - What you need to do is go see an immigration attorney with the specifics of the job, the offer and everything else, and get a legal opinion about your own case. General advice isn't worth anything here. Good luck

It looks like a roundabout way to derive a foreign income while in the United States on a non immigrant visa, which may be a de fact violation of the status.

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You might check with your school and see what their view is. If you were on H1B I'd say you need to apply for a second H. But OPT is part of the F1.

This is a general answer only and does not imply that I am your attorney giving advice with full knowledge of all the particulars of your case or that there is any attorney client relationship. I strongly urge you to retain experienced legal counsel who can better advise you once they have reviewed all your documentation and are fully apprised of the details of your case. Rebecca Black Immigration 5800 Beach Blvd. Ste 203-176 Jacksonville, FL 32207 904-999-4928 Tel & Fax