EMERGENCY , H1 help

[extrememachine12]

I graduated from a US university in May 2011, my OPT runs out on Jan 11 th 2012. My employer has applied for my H1 in October but the status says initial review. Can I work after Jan 11th or do I have to stop until the H is approved ?

[shervin143]

You cannot work until the H1B gets approved. It is advisable to upgrade the case to premium as soon as possible and get the result within 15 days. Otherwise you will not have any status from the OPT expiry date until the H1B effective date and it is a problem. If the H1B is denied, the all time spend in U.S after the I-94 expiry date will be treated as illegal stay.