H1B workers may work for more than one employer: USCIS
The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
![H1B workers may work for more than one employer: USCIS H1B workers may work for more than one employer: USCIS](https://cdn.zeebiz.com/sites/default/files/styles/zeebiz_850x478/public/2017/12/13/26714-h-1b-pti.jpg?itok=VaRisvAi&c=5d5f09ae0f80308d02d122863893b55d)
Foreign workers in the US on a H1B work visa, the most sought after among Indian IT professionals, may work for more than one company, the country's immigration agency has said.
The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
"In general, H1B workers may work for more than one employer but must have approved I-129 for each," the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency which receives and determines the successful applications for H1B visas, tweeted yesterday..
"New employer must submit an I-129 petition before you may begin working," the USCIS said.
Form I-129 is a form submitted for a non-immigrant worker to the USCIS used by employers or prospective employers to obtain (or amend the details of) a worker on a non-immigrant visa status.
While this is not a new rule, but very few people know about it.
The H1B visa has an annual numerical limit cap of 65,000 visas each fiscal year as mandated by the Congress. The first 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries with a US master's degree or higher are exempt from the cap.
Additionally, H1B workers who are petitioned for or employed at an institution of higher education or its affiliated or related nonprofit entities or a nonprofit research organisation or a government research organisation are not subject to this numerical cap.
Meanwhile, an American think-tank, the Cato Institute in a report said that in 2015, a total of
56 per cent of all supposed employment-based green cards went to the family members of workers. The other 44 per cent went to the workers themselves.
If family members were exempted from the quota or there was a separate green card category for them, an additional 76,711 highly skilled immigrant workers could have earned a green card in 2015 without increasing the quota.
According to the institute, about 85 per cent of those who received an employment-based green card in 2015 were already legally living in the US.
"They were able to adjust their immigration status from another type of visa, like an H-1B or F visa, to an employment-based green card. Exempting some or all of the adjustments of status from the green card cap would almost double the number of highly skilled workers who could enter," it said.
In a blog post, Immigration Attorney Tsion Chudnovsky said immigration lawyers are seeing a big change in how visas are being processed in 2017 and many expect denial rates to increase to 40 per cent in this year's H1B cap. The USCIS has started challenging H1Bs which would have no problem being approved in the past, she said.
Get Latest Business News, Stock Market Updates and Videos; Check your tax outgo through Income Tax Calculator and save money through our Personal Finance coverage. Check Business Breaking News Live on Zee Business Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
![https://www.zeebiz.com/personal-finance/photo-gallery-sip-swp-monthly-pension-income-retirement-corpus-planning-calculator-inr-rs-20000-monthly-investment-for-15-years-inr-99000-monthly-return-for-42-years-313283](https://cdn.zeebiz.com/sites/default/files/styles/zeebiz_700x394/public/2024/09/06/316973-rupee-pixabay-take-1.jpg?itok=02-hJh59)
SIP+SWP: Rs 20,000 monthly SIP for 16 years to get Rs 99,000 monthly income for 42 years; how is it possible?
![https://www.zeebiz.com/market-news/news-bajaj-finserv-rvnl-borosil-renewables-carysil-railtel-corporation-stocks-to-buy-hdfc-securities-recommendation-picks-target-stop-loss-bse-nse-313386](https://cdn.zeebiz.com/sites/default/files/styles/zeebiz_700x394/public/2024/09/06/317091-26.jpg?itok=gE1cWt7z)
RVNL, Bajaj Finserv and 5 more: Brokerage recommends buying these 7 stocks for up to 3 months | Check target, stop loss
![https://www.zeebiz.com/personal-finance/photo-gallery-nps-vs-ups-vs-ops-monthly-pension-income-retirement-corpus-calculator-what-will-be-your-pension-on-inr-rs-10000-contribution-for-35-years-expert-calculations-313361](https://cdn.zeebiz.com/sites/default/files/styles/zeebiz_700x394/public/2024/09/06/317060-rupee-pixabay-take-2.jpg?itok=cOVdof_v)
NPS vs UPS vs OPS: What will be your monthly pension if you contribute Rs 10,000 monthly for 35 years? Get expert calculations
![https://www.zeebiz.com/personal-finance/photo-gallery-top-7-etf-sip-mutual-funds-in-5-years-calculator-how-inr-rs-21000-monthly-investment-has-grown-in-nifty-sp-bse-next-50-cpse-uti-icici-pru-nippon-india-motilal-oswal-bharat-22-nift-mid-infra-313306](https://cdn.zeebiz.com/sites/default/files/styles/zeebiz_700x394/public/2024/09/06/316994-indian-currency-pixabay-take-1.jpg?itok=JURVEkst)
Top 7 ETF Mutual Funds With Highest SIP Returns in 5 Years: How Rs 21,000 monthly SIP has grown in each ETF over the years
![https://www.zeebiz.com/personal-finance/photo-gallery-sbi-senior-citizen-fd-fixed-deposit-latest-interest-rate-2024-calculator-what-be-maturity-amount-with-return-on-investments-of-inr-900000-lakh-in-1-3-5-year-guaranteed-return-scheme-retirement-planning-313221](https://cdn.zeebiz.com/sites/default/files/styles/zeebiz_700x394/public/2024/09/06/316909-note-coin-pixabay-take-1.jpg?itok=3RPKcBYE)
SBI Senior Citizen FD Rates 2024: What you can get if you invest Rs 3 lakh, Rs 5 lakh, Rs 7 lakh, and Rs 9 lakh in 1-, 3-, and 5-year FDs
03:33 PM IST