U.S. companies can hire non-U.S. citizens as independent contractors without a work visa, provided the contractor performs the work from outside the U.S.
For a contractor living and performing the work internationally, foreign-sourced income isn't subject to U.S. tax withholding, while U.S. source income, even if earned by a non-American, is subject to U.S. tax withholding.
Manage the paperwork Contractors must complete a Form W-9 if they're US citizens or residents and a Form W8-BEN if they're based entirely abroad. Both forms are available to download from the IRS website. From the moment the contract begins, you must store these documents for at least four years.
Businesses can often leverage job boards such as LinkedIn, Indeed, Jobrack, or Upwork to find international talent. They will then need to find out if they need to offer the contractor an employment contract and also understand the working hour requirements for independent contractors.
It is important to note that foreign independent contractors must comply with the immigration laws and regulations of the country where they are providing their services. They may need to obtain work permits or visas to legally work in the United States or any other country where they are contracted.
The ABC Test consists of three requirements that a worker in California must fulfill before their employer can designate them as an independent contractor. The conditions are: The worker is not subject to control or direction from the employer as they perform their duties.
AB 5 requires the application of the “ABC test” to determine if workers in California are employees or independent contractors for purposes of the Labor Code, the Unemployment Insurance Code, and the Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) wage orders.
Yes, a non-U.S. citizen can be an independent contractor for a U.S. company. This is a key point in understanding how can a US company hire a foreign independent contractor.
The contractor must have held an active license in good standing in one of the reciprocal states for the previous five years. The contractor must submit to CSLB the Request for Verification of License form that is completed by the licensing entity under which he or she already is licensed.