Reminders/Tips: After you get your H1B work visa

[mtempelaar 190]

I want to pass along some important reminders as someone who has been a client for a contracting company using H1B contractors, and also as someone who has been on the contracting company side, placing H1B visa contractors at client locations.  This is going to sound harsh, and it isn't meant to be.  It's just that I've experienced a whole lot of problems and I want to pass these along.   

 

1) If I am your client and you are working through a contracting company,  that company is your employer, not mine.  My contract is with the company, not the people.   

2) Many companies, especially large ones, will not provide client letters for USCIS.   Any issues need to be handled by contracting company and their employee (you), and not the client.  

3) If you do not know the status of your visa or are up for renewal, don't leave the country on vacation until you understand EXACTLY where you stand and what paperwork you might need to get back into the US.

4) If you need a passport stamp, you should do it in your home country.   Doing it from a third party country is going to make things far more difficult and costly for you.   I have had many people stuck outside the US waiting for a passport stamp for weeks due to missing paperwork and there was literally nothing I could do to help.  Having them sit in a hotel in a 3rd party country is even worse for everyone.

5) A big consulting company will likely have an immigration department to help you.   A client's legal groups will not help you.  They are there to protect the client company.

6) If you are restricted to working in specific locations, you need to know that.   This is Labor Conditions related.  If you have to then change work locations to someplace you aren't listed for, there is a process involved that needs to be followed.   When I worked for one company, I had someone who was only allowed to work in NYC and Atlanta.  That wasn't shared with me.   I had transferred him to Columbus, OH  at my client's request and no one said a word.   I got a call from our corporate office one day.  He had to stop work immediately and within one hour I had to get him to the airport and onto any plane I could back to Atlanta.  He couldn't work until his LCA was processed to include Columbus.   

 

In the end, one overarching tip:   as the recipient of a visa, it is incumbent upon you to understand the terms and conditions of your visa.  This is your life.   You need to know what type of visa you have, when it expires, when it maxes out (if it does), where you can work, and who is the appropriate party to help you with any issues with USCIS and embassies.

[Boiler 43,429]

I know USCIS is trying to crack down on Body Shops, sounds like they have some way to go.

[USS_Voyager 1,971]

9 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I know USCIS is trying to crack down on Body Shops, sounds like they have some way to go.

Oh the crackdown has been going on for a long time, but it's just like a Whack-a-mole game, when you whack one, 3 more of them come back. 

[WeGuyGal 1,052]

Well stated..

 

Though this might be complex reading for some H1Bs I've worked around  

[Boiler 43,429]

2 minutes ago, USS_Voyager said:

Oh the crackdown has been going on for a long time, but it's just like a Whack-a-mole game, when you whack one, 3 more of them come back. 

Agree, the whole thing has become a shambles.

[mtempelaar 190]

59 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I know USCIS is trying to crack down on Body Shops, sounds like they have some way to go.

The crackdown is real, as are policy and process changes.  I can't get into what I've been through in the last 18 months in particular, but I reached a point a few weeks ago that all I could do was say "Not my problem.  I can't help".  I felt horrible since that's not who I am as a boss or person.   

 

I just want people who are coming here on H1Bs to understand their visa completely.  A few of the wounds I've seen were self inflicted.

[Boiler 43,429]

Desperate people do desperate things, not sure how you intend to stop that.

 

And being intelligent does not stop you from being gullible.

[mtempelaar 190]

Just now, Boiler said:

Desperate people do desperate things, not sure how you intend to stop that.

 

And being intelligent does not stop you from being gullible.

If I can help one person avoid a problem, that's enough for me.

 

I've had some incredible people here for years who understand every part of the process and have never had a problem.  But then I have had a couple of people who had the technical chops I need, but have passive personalities and never asked key questions.