H-1B Employees

• H1-B Employees

  Immigration Status

  • H-1B/H-4 Guidebook
  • Maintaining H-1B Status
  • Reporting Changes in Employment
  • Updating Local Address
  • Requesting an H-1B Extension
  • Transferring H-1B Status (Portability)

• Travel and Re-entry

  • Obtaining an H-1B Visa Stamp
  • H-1B Visa Stamp Not Required for Canadians
  • Travel Abroad with a Valid H-1B Visa Stamp
  • Travel to Canada / Mexico with an Expired Visa Stamp

• Information for University Departments

  • Overview of H-1B Status
  • Applying for H-1B Status
  • Processing Times for H-1B Application
  • iStart
  • H-1B Filing Fees and Supporting Documents
  • LCA Postings

Maintaining H-1B Status

US immigration regulations require H-1B employees to maintain H-1B status by performing only the employment described in the approved H-1B petition.

Upon termination of this employment, legal status ends, even if the H-1B petition was approved for a longer period. Although the regulations provide for a 10-day grace period, this grace period can only be added to the I-94 Arrival/Departure Record (I-94 card) by a Custom's and Border Protection officer admitting an individual into the US. The grace period is not always added to the I-94 card. To be safe, an H-1B employee should assume that no grace period exists for departure from the US or for making application for a change to a different visa status at the end of employment.

Additionally, to maintain legal status, H-1B employees must maintain a valid passport and I-94 card at all times and comply with the US address reporting requirement.