Hi everyone! I’m Sonu Lal, a business immigration attorney at Manifest who’s spent the past decade helping companies and individuals navigate everything from H-1Bs and O-1s to PERM and EB-1/2/3 green cards.
I’ve filed thousands of cases with USCIS, DOL, and consulates around the world, and I know how overwhelming the process can feel, especially in 2025, with all the recent changes.
If you’re in HR, global mobility, or just trying to figure out what comes after OPT, J-1, or an H-1B cap denial, I’m here to help.
Feel free to drop your questions in advance or bring them to the live session. Looking forward to the conversation.
- Sonu
(Please note: All information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney–client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.)
Thank you everyone for your questions! Keep an eye out for future AMAs from our team of experienced immigration attorneys!
How do corporate mergers or acquisitions affect employees who are already on H1B or L1 visas? Does the company need to refile everything?
You do not have file everything again. If depends on the kind of merger and acquisition. If after the merger the new company qualifies as successor-in-interest then in most case there is no need to file an H-1B amendment. The H-1B employees can continue working. In the L-1 context, the conseqences of merger would be different depending on other factors.
I’m in HR and kinda confused about “material change.” If an H1B employee’s role evolves or their reporting manager changes, does that trigger a refiling?
Material change for H-1B is a broad term and may include a variety of changes. In general, just a change in job title would not require an H-1B Amendment petition. But a change in job duties such as a promotion or a change in job location to a different county would need an H-1B Amended petition.
If HR forgets to update USCIS after a job title change, is that a huge legal issue or can it be fixed retroactively?If HR forgets to update USCIS after a job title change, is that a huge legal issue or can it be fixed retroactively?
When you say update the USCIS, it actually means filing an H-1B Amendment Petition. H-1B Amendment Petition is required when there is a material change in the employment. A change in the job title would not be a material change unless there is a change in job duties also such as in case of a promotion. If there is change in job duties or job location then you would need to file an H-1B Amendment. If the H-1B Amendment is not filed then there may consequences for that. In very limited cases retroactive submission might work and it is case Nunc Pro Tunc filing.
how can companies make visa holders feel supported? half the folks in our office are anxious about layoffs + immigration timelines.
By giving employees regular immigration updates. The company can do immigration webinars to keep the visa holder employees up to date with changes in immigration policies. If the company does not have in-house immigration counsel then outside immigration firm can help with this. There are so many changes happening within employment based immigration and the visa holders are likely to be stressed.
Thanks for doing this AMA! Are you expecting major immigration policy changes this year that HR or employees should prepare for early?
There is so much going on this year with employment based immigration. Probably not a major policy change but so many policy changes are already happening. If you employ visa holders employees such as H-1B, etc. then these policies will definitely affect these visa holder employees, such as getting their visa stamp in a third country.
This is not the appropriate space for your post. Please read the sub rules
We coordinated with the mods to host this AMA. Many professionals have questions about U.S. work authorization, green card options, or sponsorship pathways but may not have direct access to an immigration attorney.
Our goal is to share insights, clear up common misconceptions, and help people feel more confident about when and how to seek immigration help.
Ah, fair enough!