Publish iOS/Android apps under visa status

[Wakarahen]

Hi,

Sorry I tried to google but I had no luck with these particular subjects, so I wondered if any of you here had the same problem.

I’m writing to you as a language student with a student visa.
Do you know by any chance if I can make apps on android/iOS and monetize them under my visa status somehow? Or else is it not permitted?
What if I have a working visa?
Can I work and at the same time publish(and monetize) apps I create in free time? (Or not permitted by visa?)
Any of you is doing this?

Thank you

[pwim]

Article 19 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act allows for renumeration that is a “incidental reward in daily life”. The wording of it doesn’t make it quite clear to me whether that only applies to working visas, or if student visas are covered as well.

Whether or not it is incidental is obviously subjective, but if it was something you were spending a couple of hours a week on, it’s probably okay. If you’re doing it full time, probably not.

However, perhaps the issue is moot, as I think it is quite challenging to build an app that’s popular enough to monetize in any significant way regardless. Unless this is something you’ve had success with before, you could start by just releasing any apps you build for free. Only when you’ve started to see success with one, then you could worry about monetization and the visa implications.