Indians Can Work For More Than One Company In The US

There is a provision in the H1B visa which may allows Indians workers to work for more than one company. The rule is not new but it is also something that is often ignored. The H1B Visa is one of the most sought after visas among Indian IT Professional workers. The H1B visa allows the US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. This is the visa that the companies in the US depend upon to hire tens of thousands of technical employees from countries like India and China.

In a tweet a few days ago, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) drew attention to the special provision in the H1B Visa that allows the non-immigrant worker to work for more than one company. “In general, H1B workers may work for more than one employer but must have approved I-129 for each company. 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.

In general, H-1B workers may work for more than one employer but must have approved I-129 for each. New employer must submit an I-129 petition before you may begin working. For more info on H-1B: https://t.co/2zTATIGjqe #AskUSCIS https://t.co/k7IpdhSYv2

— USCIS (@USCIS) December 12, 2017

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.

According to an American think-tank, the Cato 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.