H-1B EMPLOYEE CHECKLIST
To assist us in preparing the H-1B petition, please provide the following:

Completed immigration questionnaire (to be completed online)

If in the United States, a copy of your most recent Arrival/Departure Record (I-94)

Complete copy of passport, including blank pages (please provide all passport pages in
one document)

If you have been an F-1 student, copies of all Forms I-20 (please provide all I-20s in one
document, if possible) and employment authorization card

If currently in F-1 status, please provide the following:
▪
Copies of all reports submitted to the Designated School Official (DSO) regarding a
change of legal name, residential or mail address, employer name, employer address,
and/or loss of employment.
If you are on STEM OPT, copies of all the validation reports submitted to the DSO (Validation
Reporting: A 6-, 12- and 18-month validation report to the DSO that confirms the
student’s name, address, employer name and address, and employment status are correct.)
(The reporting processes and procedures vary by school, so please check with your DSO
to obtain evidence that you have complied with reporting requirements.)
•
Copy of all pay stubs for the period of OPT and OPT STEM (please provide all pay stubs
in one document, if possible)

If you are in F-1 status and have attended a private university on CPT please also submit
documentation of your enrollment such as syllabus, evidence of attendance, flight tickets,
purchase of books, etc. as evidence of maintenance of status.

If you have been a J-1 exchange visitor, copies of all Forms DS-2019

Copies of all academic degrees and transcripts, with English translation

Academic equivalency evaluation of foreign degree, if available

Current résumé or curriculum vitae (including month/day/year to the best of your
recollection)

Copy of license or other authorization to practice profession, if required

Copies of all prior USCIS Forms I-797 Approval Notices (e.g., H-1B, L-1A/B, I-140,
etc.) if available.
For accompanying family members, please provide the following items:

If in the United States, copies of each I-94 record

Copy of passport pages, including all U.S. visa stamps and proof of inspection

Copy of any previous USCIS approval notices

Copy of marriage certificate with English translation, if applicable.

Copy of children’s birth certificates with English translation, if applicable
TRAVEL ADVISORY ALERT
Please advise us if you have any travel plans. We want to be sure we have reviewed your visa stamp,
if applicable, passport ID page and any I-797 receipt or approval notices prior to your making any
overseas travel plans.
H-1B Cap-Gap and Change of Status Request: If your current OPT/STEM OPT expires before October 1,
2021 and you have a timely filed H-1B petition and request for change of status pending when your
OPT/STEM OPT expires, you may continue to be in the U.S. and authorized to work under the H-1B cap
gap provision until October 1. Upon issuance of the H-1B receipt notice, you must notify your DSO
and have your I-20 updated to cover the cap gap period. You must be physically in the U.S. when the
H-1B petition is filed and remain in the U.S. until the H-1B adjudication process is complete. If you
depart the U.S. before the H-1B petition is adjudicated, you will abandon the request for a change of
status, and therefore lose the cap-gap eligibility. The petition can still be approved, but you will not have
work authorization between your OPT expiration date and October 1, and you will have to depart the U.S.
and apply for a visa to re-enter pursuant to the approved H-1B petition. If your H-1B petition is not
selected in the lottery, denied, withdrawn, or revoked, you will have the standard 60-day grace period
from the date of the rejection notice or the expiration date indicated on your Form I-20, whichever is later.
Please note that you do not have employment authorization during the 60-day grace period. If you need to
travel during the cap-gap period while your H-1B petition is pending, please contact the F&B
immigration team members assisting on your H-1B case before you make any travel plans outside the US.