Update 1- Feb 8, 2021
Can students on OPT CPT work remotely during the COVID times. ICE says yes. See from page 12 on of this FAQ released by the govt.
https://www.ice.gov/doclib/coronavirus/covid19faq.pdf
FAQs: Filing Supplement J, staying without work on EAD, H-1B denial effect on I-485 Age Out/CSPA for children immigrating to the US
OTHERS: Completed I-765 form with a mistake, will the application get rejected || I-140 is withdrawn before 180 days of pending I-485 and EAD application || WD 7A1 stamp and future vacation travel to US || B-2 visa duration and extension || Getting a US Passport under Section 320 for a Minor || Wait for H-4 EAD or convert visa from H-4 to F-1 (finishing graduate degree online) by traveling to India for visa stamping || On F-1 visa stamped for 5 years for 1-year graduate course and unclear when required to leave || Applying for a re-entry permit after receiving green card || USCIS Receipt Notice Delays for I-140/EB-1C || H-1, H-4, EAD expiring: H-1 extension already filed || B-2 extension and RFE responses for parents during covid || Applying for H-4 after marriage with an approved I-140 || Moving to H-1B from Adjustment of Status if currently working on EAD || L-1A Stamping in Canada instead of India - Advantage || Maintaining H-1B status while waiting for green card || AOS filing and processing questions with H-1 and H-4 parents and child on F-1 now over 21 || Downgrading and processing time issues.
FAQ's: H-1B unpaid leave or time off, What to expect from H-4 EAD revocation, Options for career or school - while employment-based green card is pending, Impact on green card of job promotions
I saw your video on doing business on H1b and understood most of the things such as applying concurrent H1b if I want to be actively involved in the business. I have 3 questions related to the topic. I will open an LLC or any other type of entity that my CPA will suggest but
1- I plan to start with a simple e-commerce business (selling online on a website and other platforms such as Amazon). How tricky is it to get approved for a Concurrent H1b for managing this type of business? I work in IT but I do have MBA and MS degrees from USA. I will be managing both the Technical and Management side.
2- I remember that Concurrent H1b will have to abide by all rules of H1b. Will this means that I have to have start-up capital of more than yearly prevailing wage of CEO in the bank to qualify? I plan to start with 10-20K.
3- Will this Concurrent H1b will be cap-exempt or I have to go through the lottery for this?
I think the problem here is I don't think we can prove that your job requires the Bachelors Degree, so unless the job requires the Bachelors Degree in a specific subject, we cannot get an H-1B for that job. There is no start up capital requirement for an H-1B. Directly there is no such thing, but of course indirectly the government can say that we want to be assured of the veracity of the company we want to know that you have enough money or start up money to secure the job. They usually don't ask.
Concurrent H-1B is cap exempt. It is not subject to the cap. If your main H-1B is already capped you have gone through the quota once concurrent H-1B will not be under the cap. The difficulty I see is that your job is not specialty occupation. Other than that, I think it can be done.
Deportation and Denial Policy 2018
USCIS now interprets the 24-month STEM OPT extension rule from 2016 to require a STEM OPT worker to be placed only at a worksite of the employer. In other words, the USCIS now says that any offsite placement, including at a third-party worksite, is prohibited. Will this affect the H1B petitions filed by employers for such opt students, where they are working at an end client location (not employer location) and the H1B petition was filed with end client details.
First of all to say that USCIS has changed its regulations and they do not allow off-site placements of STEM OPT extensions students is incorrect, because USCIS has said this from a very long time that they are not going to allow these placements. If you are in a situation, what can happen is you could be considered to be out of status for no fault of your own. So if you file an H-1B and if the government says well we think you're out of status hopefully that's all they can do, they can make you go outside the USA for a visa stamping.
FAQs: - Effect of I-140 revocation on priority date - H-1B extensions through any employer - Is there any law to provide legal stay to the parent of US citizen child with disability? - Status of off-site placed STEM OPT extension students - how does one change status while within the United States?
The attached letter from the USCIS signals clearly that H-1B program may be headed for a fundamental change. It remains to be seen what the details are and whether or not what the government would plan is within their legal authority.
On April 11, USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process to select enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally-mandated cap and the U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2019.
This visa category applies to people who wish to perform services in a specialty occupation, services of exceptional merit and ability relating to a Department of Defense (DOD) cooperative research and development project, or services as a fashion model of distinguished merit or ability.