JoeF

People on H1 have to be paid by their employer. It is not possible to get paid by some temp agency.

No, you can not do that. While you are on H1 in the US you can ONLY work for your H1 employer. It doesn't matter where the company is located, it matters where you are located.

They are immigrants, the quarantine rules don't apply to them. They become Permanent Residents when they enter with the immigrant visa.

If you no longer work for the company in the US the employer is required by law to inform USCIS that you no longer work there. That obviously results in H1 revocation. It does not affect your ability to get a new H1.

An I-140 is employer-specific and can never be transferred. You can reuse the PD. And H1s are cap-exempt if you have an I-140 that's approved for at least 180 days.

The Visa Bulletin shoes you how far the PD for Family Category 4 is backlogged. It will be 12+ years. Tourist visas dont allow immigration intent, so he risks getting denied entry and not getring a new visitor visa.

You are by definition not on H1 if you are outside the US. You can work from your home country for as long as you want to, but you may have to pay taxes in your home country. No premium for consular notification. No effect on the GC, either. But be aware that an I-485 can only be filed while in the US in valid status. The I-485 is Adjustment of Status, and you only have a status to adjust while in the US.. You can always go for Consular Processing for the GC. Talk with your lawyer.

No. And there is no way around it.

You can't sign any office lease. That would be working for the US company. You can't open a bank account for the US company, either. All you could do would be hiring a manager/CEO for the US company who would then be able to hire staff, sign an office lease, open a bank account, etc. for the US company.

"Open a bank account for the US company." That would be working for the US company. You can't do that on B1.

Separately.

No sane employer would pay and start the GC process if they don't know how good your work is. And you are not allowed to pay for PERM.

You are in H1 status by definition only when you are in the US. You can work from your home country for as long as you want to, but you may have to pay taxes there.

On a B1 you can not do work for the US company.

You need to file an AR-11 with USCIS, and update the address for pending applications as well, all via mail.