I've been offered essentially the same work two ways — as a full employee, or as a freelance contractor billing the company directly — and I assumed the choice was purely financial until someone mentioned it might actually affect which visa route is even available to me.
Now I'm trying to figure out whether that's genuinely true or just something I misunderstood, because the difference in visa complexity (if real) might matter more to me right now than the modest difference in take-home pay between the two options.
For anyone who had a similar choice — did your employment status (employed vs freelance/contractor) actually change your visa options, timeline, or complexity? Trying to make this decision with the full picture rather than just comparing the two contracts side by side.