Freelance DOP moving to New York

[Andrew Dorn]

Hey guys,
I'm seeking some advice from anyone who's worked abroad or moved to a new city. The challenges of building your network from scratch in a new place. I'm potentially going to spend a year freelancing in New York next year. I'm from Australia. Any red users here from New York?

Regarding visas, seeing I have my own business in Australia (ABN), would I need to create a US business in order to get paid from clients whilst freelancing? Then would I also need a US bank account to get paid?

It's still quite early but theses couple of hurdles I'd like to get sorted out sooner rather than later.

Any advice would be super helpful.

 

[Daniel Stilling]

Hey man,

I'm not trying to be antagonist here at all, but from your questions I can tell you have to do a lot of research before attempting this move.
As door opening as it can be, you need to know all your options before going: Housing, Visa, networking...
The visa part itself is extremely important for obvious reasons. It's a process that can take time and money. You need to know what kind of visa you can get. If you venture out without one (I believe Australia is part of the visa waiver program) you can stay in the US for 3 months only. If you overstay, there are big consequences, specially being barred from coming back to the US, for 10 years, I believe.
Also, no company in the US will hire you if they have to make an international payment. You will absolutely need a bank account in the US. To open that, you'll need a Social Security number. To get that you'll need a valid visa.
So, as you can see, there are several hoops you need to jump over before attempting the move.
Do your research, find a good immigration lawyer, then research some more until you feel totally prepared. It's a big move.
Good luck.

 

[Eaglo Park]

'tf ?