Visa for an unpaid internship

[wsl235]

Hi guys, 

 

I'm planning on doing an unpaid internship for three months, and 

currently I'm mulling over whether I should do this on a tourist L visa

or the business M visa, the latter of which, I am aware, has no clause

on "internship". For the M visa, I would have to somehow prove that

I am visiting the company (on behalf of another foreign one) for business

purposes. I think this is doable(?) because I don't need a certificate or any

document to prove that I'm indeed coming on behalf of, or as an employee

of another company.

 

The other option, the tourist L visa, is just as frequently used by many foreign

interns, I heard, but is it possible to rent an apartment on a tourist visa?

 

Any advices would be sorely appreciated!

 

Cheers X

[vellocet]

Usually they don't care what kind of visa you have to rent an apartment, but I haven't heard of anything smaller than a 6 month lease.  You can get an M visa if you want, but an L is probably OK as long as you don't draw attention to yourself.  Nobody really cares if you're not making money and required to pay taxes.  Don't forget not to overstay, you'll have to make a run for the border to exit and re-enter so as to start your visa timer again, and you need to convince your company to pay for the travel expenses (transportation and hotel).  If they won't pay then tell them you need them to arrange a proper visa, which will be a lot of trouble for them, they'll probably cave.