I work for Company A . I got my H1B transfer to company B approved while I was outside US and still working with company A . When I entered US i was not aware of it and entered with my old employer’s (Company A)visa stamp and i94 both of which are valid till around july2019 .
Now If I need to join B , what should I do , since i94 numbers would be different . Do I need to go outside US once and reenter to set this right . If so should this be done while I am still with Company A or after joining B .
This could be a confusing part here.
Now, if you entered US after your transfer was approved and a new i94 issued, then your i94 issued at entry is considered most current.
In that case, you can join and start working for new employer. But, you will have to get a new i94 before this current one expires.
The i94 that came with transfer approval would not be considered valid if it was issued before your most recent US entry.
True , I believe according to last action rule the i94 issued upon re-entry would override the one issued with transfer .
But is it ok to join new employer with and sticking with the i94 issued on re-entry until its expiry . Would this lead to any problems in future .
In order to get a new i94 - do I need to re-enter US with new employer’s i797 ?
You can keep using the existing i94 that you got on US entry. No issues with that if it has the status mentioned as ‘H1B’.
To get new i94, you will either have to file H1B extension OR go out of US and then re-enter.
If your H1B visa stamp also expires (or has short validity) on the same date as your current i94, then once you go out of US, you will have to get new H1B stamp as well.