Non Profit Volunteering while on H1B

[CIhere]

Hello,

Is it OK to volunteer at a non profit (Micro-finance or Micro-enterprise based) in the US (in person) or in India (online) while on an H1B? I currently work as an IT analyst.

Some content on the internet say it is OK to participate in non profit activity if it is not the same as the current job function (IT analyst in my case). Is this true?

Thanks!

[t75]

You may do a task where all others are also volunteers

[JoeF]

It usually is possible to volunteer for a non-profit organization if everybody in similar positions there volunteers.

A classic example is volunteering for a church.

For your particular case, you should discuss it with a good immigration lawyer. There may be pitfalls.

[Attorney_11]

It is advisable to review any activities extraneous to work when present in the United States in H-1B classification with an immigration attorney, to ensure that they will not result in a violation of status. A violation of status can severely curtail future options with respect to change of employer, extension of status or even green card applications.