Dear Sophie: How do we handle being fully remote when it comes to immigration?

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The advice column that answers immigration-related questions about working at technology companies is called "DEAR SOCIETY"

A Silicon Valley immigration attorney says that your questions are vital to the spread of knowledge that allows people all over the world to rise above borders. I would be happy to answer your questions in my next column.

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I would like to ask you a question, DearSophie.

Several new engineering positions are available.

We haven't gone through the immigration process with employees before, and a few people will need visas. A person is currently on an H-1B. One of the candidates wants to work in Miami.

Before we hire these engineers, what should we think about? When it comes to immigration, how do we deal with being completely remote?

It was determined and distributed.

It was Dear distributed.

The way we work changed as a result of the Pandemic. Your company is one of many that have a distributed workforce.

I had a great talk with Hannah Genton, a founding partner of CGL, a corporate law firm with a fully distributed team. She talked about some issues that startup should keep in mind if they have distributed or hybrid teams.

Protecting your company

Genton says that if you want to protect your company from penalties and lawsuits, you need to consult a corporate attorney. You should know what you can and can't do because of the different laws in each state. A corporate attorney can help with the creation of a work policy.

Before moving forward with the two new hires, I recommend you consult an immigration attorney. An immigration attorney can help you through the H-1B transfer process, next steps to retain that person after the H-1B visa is set to expire, and the most promising visa options available at the time.

In the article, I list some of the most common work visas that startups use to sponsor talent, but an attorney can help you with your immigration strategy based on your company's goals and timing.

Let's take a closer look at your other questions.

What should I know about H-1B transfers?

If the H-1B visa holder has started the green card process, the maximum stay can be six years. You should be aware of that.