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As far as I know, international students can't work off-campus in the USA (according to the law). What about Google AdSense?

I have been working on my personal websites and I have activated AdSense on these websites. I have been getting paid in my native country and Google sends the payment to my local bank account.

Could I link my US bank account after I reach there? Will it be considered as off-campus job?

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    I don't think you should rely on StackExchange for legal advice in such cases.
    – Greg
    Commented Jun 20, 2016 at 8:45
  • If you link your US account, there should be taxes to be paid in the US, otherwise in your home country, depending on the sum involved. Either way, you should consider seriously a legal advice.
    – Nikey Mike
    Commented Jun 20, 2016 at 11:31
  • Does anyone know if this is on-topic for Law.SE? It seems a decent question to me.
    – svavil
    Commented Jun 20, 2016 at 12:46
  • Expats may be better.
    – RoboKaren
    Commented Jun 21, 2016 at 2:14

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Two things:

  • If you are structuring your royalties through a foreign bank in a way to avoid paying American taxes, then from the USCIS/IRS perspective, that would of course be a big big no-no.

  • As to whether you are permitted or not to receive royalties under your visa, you should ask your international student/scholar's office. It may depend on the degree to which your royalty payment is considered a passive or active activity, or whether it is related to your work as a scholar. You shouldn't do this without consulting the international student's office or an immigration lawyer.

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    From the IRS perspective: it's only hiding the information if you don't report it. They've got nice clear policies on this now, though if there's a non-trivial amount of money involved it's often a good idea to make sure a tax lawyer is preparing your taxes in order to affirm correct behavior.
    – jakebeal
    Commented Jun 20, 2016 at 10:09

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