H1B. Switching employers before Oct 1st?

Is it possible to change employers between being selected in the lottery and October 1st? Currently, an individual is employed by Company A, which will register the individual for the March lottery. However, due to personal reasons, a transition to Company B is planned in the near future—likely after the March lottery registration closes, meaning Company B would not be able to register the individual. What options are available if the individual is selected in the lottery under Company A's registration and then wishes to switch employers? Is this common in the investment banking, private equity or finance industry in general?

2 Comments
 

I went through the H1B transfer process in the past to a startup (though after Oct. 1st) - I'm pretty sure you have to wait for Company A to file for your H1B petition and have it approved by the government before you can switch to another employer. The March lottery only determines who gets to apply - Company A still needs to actually file the H1B petition if you get selected.

If you are selected by the lottery and Company A files your petition under premium processing (costs $$ but you'll hear back from USCIS in two weeks max), you'll likely find out around June timeframe, after which you can file for transfer.

TLDR do not switch employers if you are selected by the lottery until AFTER you get your full visa approved by the government

 

Dolor voluptas enim amet ex consequuntur voluptatibus. Ea quas nesciunt nulla facere in. Itaque nisi aut rerum voluptatem praesentium eos. Fugit sint sed voluptates vel ea. Amet consequatur dignissimos sapiente magnam hic. Qui dolore aut rerum porro et minus quod veritatis.

Totam autem ex cumque eos. Aperiam accusantium autem nesciunt facere sit. Quae facilis neque cupiditate voluptatem aut quibusdam.

Nihil sint voluptatibus voluptates et odit ut quos tempora. Ullam consequatur voluptates ex ducimus dolor reiciendis.

Rerum reprehenderit velit corrupti in sunt vel. Est facere beatae soluta itaque. Dolorum eos qui ipsam mollitia eius qui.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”