Hiring Bahamian national on US flagged vessel?

Capt. Jim

Been waiting to hear what your guy would say. A second opinion might be worth the price...and you will need advice from an immigration attorney and a tax professional. In Florida I would imagine easy to find... but good advice costs. I have an asset protection guy in Florida that is one of the top two guys in the world on that... you don't want to know his fees! SO I know good guys are about there.

My personal advice...

Your Bahamian Nation will need a visa application to temporarily work in the USA which will cost him around $190.00 this will if approved give him a 120 days employment status... he can come an go pretty much as he pleases. He does not have to pay an issue fee for the visa luckily because Bahama and Canada are lucky treaty wise with the USA. He will have to prove his situation to Dept. of State.

Employment

If you follow the links you will find out the requirements...

You or your employer will also have to apply for a permit too, through Dept. of State... follow the various links on that web page from the entry portal above. You will have to prove the reasons you need him but its pretty easy for a Bahamian. Be sure both you and him have your stories straight Dept. of State checks. You will be best to have him go to the consulate and you go to a local Dept. of State Office. Don't lie... some of the visa status requirements will not fit your situation so unless he is a world renowned marine biologist doing vital work or an international model or celebrity don't try try to say he is vital on those type of aspects it will result in more questions. How I know this as several of our friends fall in those categories... and they get to go through the hoops too.

Don't say he is a farm worker growing medicinal weeds... either!

Now to determine withholding and counting days in and out of the country you will need to go and use IRS publication 519 rules once you have the permits.

The USA and Bahama do not have a tax treaty. So he will be responsible for both taxes... which may not be a lot or zero in Bahama... you will likely have to do withholding for US taxes. The rules and day counting get complicated. There will be a first year (2014) limits and following year limits.

If it is becomes permeant employment be sure to think ahead far enough ahead so you can get the right visas, green card etc going in time before it becomes difficult.

Hope this helps too...

Rain / drizzle is suppose to let up and the sun come out this mourning with of course a light breeze... and got a day of sailing to look forward to... hope for some stronger breeze and little weather on the way back this afternoon... so I got to go...

That sounds like good news! Always great to see a solution found out to a important question.