start a website while on h4

[madhum]

Hi,

For certain reasons, I converted from h1 to h4 visa last year. While staying at home I got the idea to start a website offering high quality information on a particular topic . It is all anonymous, I am not showing my name or email id or offering my services for free.All i do is type in the information in the form of articles. I am still developing the website and my husband is in the process of getting his green card within a few months. My question is : Is it legal to start a website while on h4 and attract a large user traffic to it?

I have not put any ads etc and am not making any income from it.

Thanks

[nineballs]

I don't see any problems with it. No ads and no revenue shouldn't be any problem.

[omshiv]

Yah...go ahead as I dont see any issues with the same..its almost like a blog.

[JoeF]

Hi,

For certain reasons, I converted from h1 to h4 visa last year. While staying at home I got the idea to start a website offering high quality information on a particular topic . It is all anonymous, I am not showing my name or email id or offering my services for free.All i do is type in the information in the form of articles. I am still developing the website and my husband is in the process of getting his green card within a few months. My question is : Is it legal to start a website while on h4 and attract a large user traffic to it?

I have not put any ads etc and am not making any income from it.

Thanks

You can of course do that as a hobby.

You can not make any money from it.

[JoeF]

Let me be more explicit: You can create a personal website and put on it what you like.

You can not create a website that is in essence commercial.

And of course, the website registration, etc. will have your name associated with it.

You are never anonymous on the Web.

[rangadu]

As long as you dont get any revenue from it or incorporate the website, I dont see how it is any different from being treated as a blog.

When you get your GC and try to get revenue from it, that is a different matter.

[madhum]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Is it alright if I invite people (friends and others) to talk about the topic and get their views etc.

Also, will it be an issue if I start monetizing it once I get the green card?

Thanks

[omshiv]

Yes & no

[JoeF]

Also, will it be an issue if I start monetizing it once I get the green card?

That could be seen as work while you didn't have work authorization.

It would be like "working for free", and then getting paid once you have the GC.

You can NOT get money EVER for the stuff you do while on H4.

You would have to delete everything and start over when you get the GC.

As I said before, if it has a commercial aspect to it, even a future commercial aspect, you can NOT do this.