Maintaining Status

Most steps you should take to maintain your H-1B status are basic. For example, you must maintain a valid passport and a valid I-94 card at all times, and you must report any changes in your local address.

Changes in employment may also affect your H-1B status.

IU Indianapolis departments should contact us ischolar@iu.edu three months before an H-1B employee’s position changes or is close to ending. We will help guide the employee through the next steps.

Changes in Your Duties or Position

Your H-1B status covers a specific position, minimum salary, employer, and geographical region. To avoid violating your status, you should perform only the work described in your approved H-1B petition.

Your position might change, of course. These changes could include new job duties, a new job title, or a transfer to another Indiana University Indianapolis department.

The Office of International Affairs  must review any changes in your employment. You and your host department should consult with us three months before these changes occur. We will help you determine if you need to file a new H-1B petition, which would require three months for processing.

Completion or Termination of Employment

Your H-1B status ends when you complete your work at IU Indianapolis or your employment is terminated, even if your petition covers a longer period.

If you complete your work, you should take one of three actions before your last day:

  • File a petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to extend your H-1B status with the same employer or a new employer.

  • Or file a petition with USCIS to change your status to another category.

  • Or make plans to leave the United States.

If your employment is terminated, you should plan to leave the United States immediately. Contact us , and we will guide you through this process and help you plan your next steps.

Leaving the United States

If you do not extend or change your status, you should plan to leave the country immediately when your H-1B status ends.

Some H-1B employees are granted a 10-day grace period before they must leave the country. A Customs and Border Protection officer must add the grace period to your I-94 card after admitting you into the United States, which does not always happen. To be safe, assume that you must leave when your H-1B status ends.