How Do Working Remotely and/or Layoffs Affect H-1B Workers?

Many employers are struggling with reduced work and with shelter-in-place directives due to the corona virus.  I've had a lot of questions about how this affects the company's foreign national workforce, especially H-1B workers. If you need specific answers for your situation, please feel free to call me.

Do I need an amended petition or Labor Condition Application if my H-1B employees are working from home?
 
If the employee’s home is within normal commuting distance of the office where they normally work, then no new LCA or amended petition is required.  Assuming they are working from home, there is also no need to post the existing LCA at their home.
 
If the employee is working from home outside commuting distance of their normal worksite (e.g. your office is in Dallas but the employee is working from their sister’s house in Philadelphia), see below.
 
What if my H-1B employee is working from another location, not at their home?
 
If the new location is within normal commuting distance of the office where they normally work, then no new LCA or amended petition is required. However, the existing LCA must be posted at the new worksite.  Under normal circumstances, this LCA notice must occur on or before the date that the worker starts work at the new locations. However, DOL is being more flexible now and says that “…the notice will be considered timely when placed as soon as practical and no later than 30 calendar days after the worker begins work at the new worksite locations.” (See DOL FAQs here).
 
If the new location is not commuting distance from the usual worksite, the employer may be able to use the short-term placement provisions of the H-1B regulations. In summary, the employer must continue to pay the required salary, must pay travel expenses, and the placement can’t be for more than 30 workdays in a one-year period.

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