I Have an H-1B Visa. Can I work for more than one employer?
As an H-1B visa holder, you may work for more than one employer. However, each employer must file a separate H-1B petition on your behalf. H-1B status does not allow you to work everywhere and in any capacity, the way that a green card or an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) does. You are only permitted to work pursuant to the terms of the H-1B petition approved by USCIS.
If you are already in H-1B status and a petition for concurrent H-1B employment is filed for you, you won’t need to worry about whether or not there are H-1B visa numbers available that year. You have already been “counted”, and therefore the issue of the H-1B quota does not apply to you. Even if your initial H-1B was exempt from the numerical cap, you may still work concurrently for a non-exempt employer without having to be counted. This is only the case if the non-exempt employment is concurrent.
These days, we don’t have to worry much about the H-1B cap, though, since there are plenty of H-1B’s left at the moment. As of the latest count, only about 45,000 visa numbers had been used.
Tags: concurrent employment, EAD, exempt, green card, H-1B, H-1B quota, non-exempt
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