Navigating Business Opportunities Without Federal Work Authorization and ITINs

This chapter explores how individuals lacking federal work authorization can engage in tax filing and business ventures by obtaining an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), enabling them to establish businesses, pay taxes, and acquire licenses in Washington state. The chapter emphasizes the efforts of a Spokane-based nonprofit organization hosting workshops to educate individuals on obtaining ITINs to prevent exploitation, highlighting differences in perspectives between foreign investors and undocumented individuals, and considering how asylum seekers could leverage ITINs to initiate entrepreneurial endeavors.