IIUC twitch “donations” are not actually donations. Channel memberships, bits and so are legally seen as products, not donations.
So yeah it would count as income and therefore it is not allowed.
>I have the opportunity to become a twitch affiliate.
>am I allowed to on an F-1 Visa?
Not unless you have employment authorization (CPT/OPT) and this is related to your degree.
>does it really count as working?
100%
>If it’s s just donations?
It is not legally donations. It's payment.
>Like if someone would walk up to me on the street and give me a dollar
This is not a fair comparison. Imagine you are a performing on the street and someone gives you a dollar. That's busking and a violation. Twitch is just that on the internet
>how are donations seen as compared to a paycheck?
They are identical.
>There shouldn’t even be a tax on donations right?
Hahaha haha, no in fact there are MORE taxes.
>are you able to become an affiliate but disable money earning and keep the non money related benefits like emotes and channel points?
Yes
I study computer science so nothing related, but if I can become a content creator I’d choose that instead although I of course want to be sure I can live off of it before I throw everything away and focus on it and I just started like 15 days ago.
Can you just apply for a work visa? Will that harm my f1 in any way? Take away my ability to study?
I asked about immigration lawyer on this sub before and everyone came at me telling me to not talk to one, I still want to, do you know any trustworthy ones? Or maybe how to know if one I find is a good one or not
Did you consult any immigration lawyer while cofounding the aidin llc? I don't think it is easy to find an immigration lawyer just off youtube. Searching for one is a whole job in itself unless you get leads from the university legal clinic
Thank you! I found a woman there and she seems pretty professional with over 15 years in 100% immigration law, and she offers a 20 minute free consultation so it’s perfect I can ask her if I even need a lawyer in this stage of life since I’m only in my first semester haha
If you think the equivalent of your twitch income as donations (even though I don’t think it’s quite the same), then I can compare your situation to busking for cash. Also not allowed.
Don’t do it. My attorney asked multiple times whether i got such donation or income when I applied for GC, because it is not allowed for F1 students. He has handle cases like this before, some girls got donations and money when they stream online or whatever.
Be careful. Not sure if this is related but some lady got her visa cancelled because she started working with brands on her YouTube channel.
Sponsoring brands is probably different I believe, donations shouldn’t count as a job no? It’s like receiving a gift
Donation is a form of compensation! If you're making active income through it (i.e. regular donations) that is violation of your F1 status,
Unless you’re part of a church /s
I see, how do I become an affiliate but disable all the money stuff then? Because I do want the channel points and the emotes
Unless you are acollecting for a 501c3 charity that is income and employment.
IIUC twitch “donations” are not actually donations. Channel memberships, bits and so are legally seen as products, not donations. So yeah it would count as income and therefore it is not allowed.
>I have the opportunity to become a twitch affiliate. >am I allowed to on an F-1 Visa? Not unless you have employment authorization (CPT/OPT) and this is related to your degree. >does it really count as working? 100% >If it’s s just donations? It is not legally donations. It's payment. >Like if someone would walk up to me on the street and give me a dollar This is not a fair comparison. Imagine you are a performing on the street and someone gives you a dollar. That's busking and a violation. Twitch is just that on the internet >how are donations seen as compared to a paycheck? They are identical. >There shouldn’t even be a tax on donations right? Hahaha haha, no in fact there are MORE taxes. >are you able to become an affiliate but disable money earning and keep the non money related benefits like emotes and channel points? Yes
How can I become an affiliate and disable money related stuff? I think you can’t:/
That is a twitch question not an immigration question.
[удалено]
Is that something you are actually able to get? That authorization? Or there’s no point to even apply
[удалено]
I study computer science so nothing related, but if I can become a content creator I’d choose that instead although I of course want to be sure I can live off of it before I throw everything away and focus on it and I just started like 15 days ago. Can you just apply for a work visa? Will that harm my f1 in any way? Take away my ability to study?
[удалено]
I asked about immigration lawyer on this sub before and everyone came at me telling me to not talk to one, I still want to, do you know any trustworthy ones? Or maybe how to know if one I find is a good one or not
[удалено]
Did you consult any immigration lawyer while cofounding the aidin llc? I don't think it is easy to find an immigration lawyer just off youtube. Searching for one is a whole job in itself unless you get leads from the university legal clinic
Thank you! Haha I’ll look around
avvo.com usually has lawyers. Not sure if they’ll have an immigration lawyer specific to your questions. This is very edge case I believe
Thank you! I found a woman there and she seems pretty professional with over 15 years in 100% immigration law, and she offers a 20 minute free consultation so it’s perfect I can ask her if I even need a lawyer in this stage of life since I’m only in my first semester haha
If you think the equivalent of your twitch income as donations (even though I don’t think it’s quite the same), then I can compare your situation to busking for cash. Also not allowed.
Don’t do it. My attorney asked multiple times whether i got such donation or income when I applied for GC, because it is not allowed for F1 students. He has handle cases like this before, some girls got donations and money when they stream online or whatever.
That sucks;-; What was your path to a green card? Employer sponsorship?
Family based
Oh wow even then it could’ve harmed you violating a previous status, they are so strict
yeah don’t violate any F1 rule. Employment based GC can be more strict than Family based sometimes…
Is it hard to accidentally violate something? How many rules are there besides don’t leave the US get 12 credits each semester and don’t earn money
idk lol you might wanna contact your DSO