The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that individuals travelling to the United States on tourist and business visas can now apply for new jobs and attend interviews.
Many people have asked if they can look for a new job while in B-1(Business) or B-2(Tourist) visa status and the answer is, yes. This means that searching for employment and interviewing for a job position are permissible B-1 or B-2 activities.
The most frequently granted visas in the United States for a variety of purposes are B-1 and B-2 visas. The B-1 visa is often issued for short-term business trips, while the B-2 visa is issued for tourism purposes.
The move by the USCIS comes as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have recently laid off thousands of highly skilled foreign-born workers, including Indians. Following the termination of their employment, these workers are now having difficulty finding new employment within the 60-day time frame required by their work visas to remain in the country. Due to these circumstances, many of them have upgraded to tourist or student visas, among other visa types. to remain in the United States.
In addition, they were curious as to whether it would be possible to apply for employment while holding a tourist visa.
In response, USCIS stated that employment search and job interviewing are permitted B-1 or B-2 activities. However, there are a few guidelines that should be adhered to.
Adhere and follow the rules below:
-B-1(Business) or B-2(Tourist) visa holders cannot work in the domestic labor market while in B-1 status or engage in any employment while in B-2 status.
-Approval of a petition and change of status from B-1 or B-2 to an employment-authorized status is fundamental and important prior to beginning any new work in the US. The new status must be approved after which you can engage in any work.
-If a change of status request is denied or the individual’s new employment requires notification at a consulate or port of entry, they must leave the US and re-enter in a valid employment-authorized status before starting their new job. Many applicants usually move to Canada by road which is a cheaper route before coming back to the United States and then be eligible for new application and job employment.
Learn more and apply: https://uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/information-for-employers-and-employees/options-for-nonimmigrant-workers-following-termination-of-employment
