H-1B portability is a provision introduced by the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act (AC21) that allows H-1B holders to change employers more easily. 

In 2000, Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed into law the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act (AC21), which made significant changes to U.S. immigration policy, particularly regarding H-1B visas and employment-based green cards.

Here are some key aspects of H-1B portability:

• Timing: An H-1B holder can begin working for a new employer as soon as the new H-1B petition is filed with USCIS, without waiting for approval.
• Requirements:
  • The H-1B holder must have been lawfully admitted to the U.S.
  • The new employer must file a non-frivolous H-1B petition before the expiration of the foreign nation’s current authorized stay (including 60 days grace period).
  • The H-1B holder must not have engaged in unauthorized employment since their last lawful admission.
• Duration: The H-1B holder can work for the new employer for up to 240 days while the new petition is being adjudicated.
• Documentation: The new employer should have evidence of the timely filing, such as a dated filing receipt (Form I-797) or other credible evidence.
• I-9 Verification: Employers should annotate Section 2 of the I-9 form with “AC-21” and include the date the new H-1B petition was filed with USCIS.
• Travel Considerations: H-1B holders who have changed employers under portability provisions should be cautious about international travel before the new petition is approved, as there may be additional requirements for re-entry.
• Status vs. Visa: Portability allows for a change in H-1B status, but does not automatically provide a new visa stamp. The H-1B holders may need to obtain a new visa stamp for future international travel.
• Limitations: H-1B portability generally only applies to transfers between H-1B status positions. It does not typically allow for changes from other statuses (e.g., H-4/B-2) to H-1B.

However, due to the mess laid off in the job market, many H-1B holders will change their status to B-2 in order to have extra time to do job searching. If you have already changed your status to B-2 and your B-2 change of status is still pending, now you want to return to H-1B status and join a new employer, is it possible to utilize H-1B portability? There’s some debate but it’s possible.

H-1B portability provides greater flexibility for H-1B holders to change jobs without interrupting their employment or immigration status, benefiting both employees and employers in the U.S. job market.

______________________________CHINESE VERSION_____________________________

H-1B Portability 是 “21世纪美国竞争力法案” (AC21)中的一项规定，使H-1B持有人更容易更换雇主。

2000年，美国国会通过并由总统比尔·克林顿签署成为法律的 “21世纪美国竞争力法案” (AC21)，对美国移民政策进行了重要修订，尤其是涉及H-1B签证和基于雇佣的绿卡申请。

以下是有关 H-1B Portability 的关键要点：

• 时间要求：H-1B持有人在新雇主向美国公民及移民服务局（USCIS）提交新H-1B申请后，无需等待批准即可开始为新雇主工作。
• 要求：
  • H-1B持有人必须合法入境美国。
  • 新雇主必须在当前授权居留期（包括60天宽限期）到期前提交有效的H-1B申请。
  • H-1B持有人自上次合法入境后不得从事未经授权的工作。
• 期限：在新申请审核期间，H-1B持有人可为新雇主工作最长达240天。
• 文件要求：新雇主需提供及时递交申请的证明，如标注日期的收据（I-797表格）或其他可靠证据。
• I-9验证：雇主应在I-9表格的第2部分标注“AC-21”，并注明向USCIS提交新H-1B申请的日期。
• 旅行注意事项：在新申请批准前更换雇主的H-1B持有人应谨慎考虑国际旅行，因为重新入境可能有额外要求。
• 身份与签证：流动性允许H-1B身份转换，但不会自动提供新的签证印章。H-1B持有人在未来的国际旅行中可能需要获得新的签证印章。
• 限制：H-1B流动性通常仅适用于H-1B身份之间的转换，通常不适用于其他身份（如H-4/B-2）转换为H-1B。

由于就业市场动荡，许多H-1B持有人将身份转换为B-2，以获得额外时间寻找工作。如果您已转换为B-2身份，该转换申请仍在等待处理，现在希望返回H-1B身份并加入新雇主，是否可以利用H-1B流动性？对此存在一些争议，但是有可能的。

H-1B流动性为H-1B持有人提供了更大的换工作灵活性，有助于在不影响其就业或移民身份的情况下更换雇主，对美国就业市场的员工和雇主均带来益处。

By: Jiaqi Ji

Jiaqi Ji is an Associate Attorney at Reddy Neumann Brown PC who primarily focuses on employment-based non-immigrant visa cases. Jiaqi was born and raised in China, consequently she is fluent in both English & Chinese. She came to the United States for higher legal education and went through the employment-based immigration process with her spouse. Jiaqi earned her Bachelor of Laws degree from University of International Business and Economic School of Law in 2018.