Expert: Kitty Kavey - 1/30/2009

Question
I have been living in the united states since 1996 and still don't have a green card or working visa. I'm now 22 and was wondering if it's possible to get into commercial modeling or do I have to wait until I get a green card.

Answer
Unfortunately, to work legally you would need to have a social security number so you could pay taxes in America, or have a work permit where you would be responsible for taxes in the US and/or your home country.

However, if you are working for no money - perhaps doing TFP (time for prints) then you wouldn't need all the official paperwork that you might on a paying job.  Technically, though, that's not work so much as practice, but at least you could start that while you wait for your working status to become legal.

You may want to ask one of the attorneys on AllExperts what your options might be for getting a work permit quickly, or try working with your embassy.  When I left the US for the Netherlands, I learned about the Dutch//American Friendship Treaty that allowed me to obtain a work permit here within a few months - without an employer.  Perhaps your home country also has a similar program.

Good luck to you,
~Kitty