Understanding What You Can (and Can’t) Do on a B-1 Visa

The B-1 visa is one of the most common U.S. visas for short business trips. It’s meant for people who need to come to the United States to handle international business matters — but not to take on a job here. Knowing the difference is important, because crossing the line into “work” can cause serious visa problems.

What You Can Do on a B-1 Visa:

Think of the B-1 visa as a “business visitor pass.” It allows you to:

• Attend business meetings with clients, partners, or colleagues

• Participate in professional conferences, trade shows, or conventions

• Negotiate and sign contracts

• Serve as a witness or attend legal proceedings

• Take part in short training sessions (without doing productive work)

• Explore investment opportunities or represent your foreign employer, as long as you’re not running daily operations

  
  

These activities are all temporary, international in scope, and tied to work that is really happening outside the U.S.

What You Cannot Do:

The B-1 visa is not a work visa. Activities that are off-limits include:

• Doing productive labor in the U.S., whether you’re paid or not

• Getting a salary or wages from a U.S. company (beyond expense reimbursement)

• Providing services that replace a U.S. worker

• Managing or operating a U.S. business day-to-day

  
  

If your trip crosses into “working” in the U.S., you’ll need a different visa.

The Famous Tailor Case – Matter of Hira: A good way to understand the B-1 limits comes from a real case immigration lawyers still cite today. A tailor from Hong Kong traveled to the U.S. to take measurements for American customers. The suits were made overseas and shipped to the U.S. later. Because the actual work and production happened outside the United States, officials said this was fine on a B-1 visa.

The key lesson: if the real work is done abroad and you’re paid abroad, the B-1 is usually okay. If you’re working here, it isn’t.

Reimbursement vs. Pay: B-1 travelers can have their expenses covered — such as airfare, hotels, meals, and transportation — but they cannot receive wages or direct compensation from a U.S. source.

Final Takeaway: B-1 is a helpful visa for short-term business needs, but it has clear limits. It’s safe for meetings, negotiations, and exploring opportunities. It’s not for doing hands-on work in the U.S. If in doubt, ask yourself: “Am I here as a visitor, or am I filling a job?” If it’s the latter, the B-1 isn’t the right fit.

© Becky Fu von Trapp, Esq. All rights reserved. This content is original and may not be copied, reproduced, or distributed without attribution and prior permission.