I work in consulting, can I provide services to multiple clients?

The H-1B is a visa tied to a specific sponsoring employer: the one who filed the approved petition. Your work must therefore correspond to the role, position, and worksite described in that petition, and does not permit independent consulting for multiple clients on your own account.

In the consulting model, it is common for a professional to be placed on projects for different end clients, but the employer who hires and pays you remains the sponsoring employer. The key compliance point is that your work must stay within the approved scope: significant changes in role, client, or worksite may require a formal amendment to the petition.

• The employment relationship and compensation must remain with the employer who sponsored the H-1B.
• Working for more than one employer simultaneously is possible through concurrent H-1B petitions (known as ‘concurrent H-1B’), each filed separately.
• Acting outside the approved scope without proper formalization may be treated as a violation of the visa terms.

Because every consulting arrangement has its own particularities, it is worth confirming the correct structure with a specialist and reviewing the official guidance on the USCIS website before taking on new clients or contracts.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.