A USCIS officer shows up unannounced at your office. They want to speak with the H-1B employee. They want to see the petition file, the pay stubs, and the LCA. This is an H-1B site visit, and in 2026, they are happening more frequently than at any point in recent memory. Both workers and employers need to understand what triggers these visits, what officers look for, what your rights are, and exactly how to handle the situation when it happens. This guide covers everything clearly and accurately.

UP Next: Unlawful Presence in the US: What It Is, When It Starts, and How to Avoid It in 2026.

This is not legal advice. Please consult a licensed immigration attorney for guidance specific to your situation.

What Is a USCIS H-1B Site Visit?

H-1B site visits are conducted by the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, commonly known as FDNS. This is a specialized unit within USCIS tasked with verifying that immigration filings are accurate and that employment arrangements match what was represented in approved petitions (Source: USCIS.gov).

Officers typically arrive unannounced. In some cases, they may contact an employer by phone or email before visiting. However, most visits happen without any prior notice. Officers can visit the employer’s main office, a satellite worksite, a third-party client site where the H-1B worker is placed, or in some 2026 cases, the remote worker’s home address listed as the worksite on the LCA.

Participation in site visits is now mandatory under USCIS regulations. Non-cooperation can result in petition denial or revocation. Additionally, under updated USCIS guidance effective in 2025, obstruction of an FDNS inspection is itself a basis for an adverse immigration action.

In my experience tracking these developments, the shift in tone around site visits over the past 18 months has been significant. What felt like a background risk a few years ago is now a front-of-mind compliance issue for any employer with meaningful H-1B volume.

Why Site Visits Have Intensified in 2026

Several specific developments explain the significant increase in site visit frequency in 2026.

First, the H-1B Modernization Rule that took effect in January 2025 explicitly expanded USCIS site visit authority. The rule gave USCIS clearer regulatory authority to conduct inspections at any worksite listed on an LCA, including third-party client sites and remote worker home addresses.

Second, in September 2025, the Department of Labor and USCIS jointly launched Project Firewall. This is a coordinated enforcement initiative that targets H-1B wage violations and worksite compliance. Under Project Firewall, DOL Wage and Hour Division investigators and USCIS FDNS officers collaborate on targeted enforcement campaigns. Reports from early 2026 confirm that Project Firewall investigations are ongoing and actively generating site visits across multiple industries.

Third, USCIS has specifically increased targeting of certain high-risk categories. These include IT staffing firms and third-party placement arrangements, employers with high LCA filing volumes, petitions that previously received RFEs or Notices of Intent to Deny, and cases where the LCA worksite address differs from available public records for the employee’s location.

A Real Scenario: What a Site Visit Actually Looks Like

Take Rajiv, an H-1B software engineer at a mid-sized IT consulting firm in New Jersey. On a Tuesday morning in March, two FDNS officers walked into the company’s reception area and asked to speak with the HR manager and a specific named employee. The receptionist, who had never seen anything like this, panicked and called the owner. The owner, unfamiliar with the process, asked the officers to wait while he tried to find his company’s immigration attorney. The officers waited for 20 minutes, at which point the attorney joined by phone. The visit lasted just over an hour. The officers asked Rajiv to describe his daily job duties, reviewed his pay stubs for the prior six months, asked to see the public access file, and confirmed his worksite address. Everything checked out. No follow-up action was taken. But the 20-minute delay while the owner scrambled for the attorney’s number and the fact that nobody at the front desk knew what a public access file was created unnecessary tension in a situation that had a straightforward outcome. Preparation would have made that hour feel entirely routine.

What Officers Verify During a Site Visit

Understanding what officers are looking for helps both employers and employees prepare appropriately. Officers typically verify six core areas during an H-1B site visit.

1. The Employer Exists and Operates as Described

Officers confirm that the petitioning employer is a real, functioning business. They look for physical evidence of business operations including office space, equipment, signage, and staff. A shell company with no real operational presence will not satisfy this requirement. Officers may photograph the premises as part of their documentation.

2. The Employee Is Present at the Approved Worksite

Officers verify that the H-1B employee is physically working at the location specified in the LCA. If the employee works remotely from a different location than what is on the LCA, this creates a compliance problem regardless of whether the remote work was known or approved internally. This is one of the most commonly cited findings in 2026 FDNS reports.

3. The Job Duties Match the Petition

Officers ask questions to confirm that the employee is performing the duties described in the I-129 petition. They may ask both the employee and a supervisor to describe the role. Significant discrepancies between the petition description and what the employee is actually doing suggest misrepresentation. This is particularly scrutinized in cases where job titles are vague or where the employee’s actual work has evolved significantly from the original petition.

4. The Salary Matches the LCA Wage

Officers may request pay stubs, W-2 forms, or payroll records. They verify that the employee is being paid at least the wage certified on the LCA. Any salary below the LCA wage is both a DOL violation and an H-1B compliance failure. Bench periods where the employee was not paid while awaiting assignment are a particular focus in IT staffing firm visits.

5. The Employer-Employee Relationship Is Genuine

Officers assess whether the petitioning employer genuinely controls the H-1B employee’s day-to-day work. This includes the ability to hire, supervise, assign work, and terminate the employee. In third-party placement situations, officers specifically look for evidence that the petitioning employer retains supervisory authority rather than delegating it entirely to the client company.

6. Educational Credentials and Qualifications

Officers may request copies of degrees, transcripts, and professional certifications. They verify that the employee holds the qualifications described in the petition. If the petition claimed a specific degree or specialization, that degree must be verifiable and consistent with the employee’s immigration record.

What to Do When an FDNS Officer Arrives

Handling a site visit correctly in the moment matters as much as the underlying compliance of your employment arrangement. Here is a step-by-step approach for both employers and employees.

For Employers

First, verify the officer’s identity. Ask to see official government credentials and a badge. Genuine FDNS officers will always carry and produce their identification. You have the right to verify credentials before allowing access.

Second, contact your immigration attorney immediately. USCIS will not postpone the visit to wait for counsel to arrive. However, your attorney can join by phone in real time to provide guidance during the interaction. Have your immigration counsel’s number saved and accessible at every worksite.

Third, designate a specific representative to accompany the officer throughout the visit. Do not leave the officer alone with employees or with files. The designated representative should be calm, cooperative, and factual. They should answer questions honestly and should not speculate or offer information beyond what is directly asked.

Fourth, cooperate fully with all reasonable requests. Provide access to the worksite, the public access file, the H-1B petition documents, and any other records the officer requests. Non-cooperation is not a legal strategy. It makes things significantly worse. Cooperation is both legally required and practically beneficial in demonstrating good faith compliance.

For H-1B Employees

If an officer asks to speak with you, be calm and cooperative. Answer questions honestly and accurately. You are not required to answer questions beyond what is factually within your knowledge. If you are unsure of an answer, say so rather than guessing. After the visit, write down every question asked and every answer you gave while the conversation is fresh. Share those notes with your employer’s immigration attorney promptly.

You do not need to provide access to personal devices, personal email, or any personal records that are not related to your employment. If an officer requests something that seems unusual or outside the scope of an employment verification, note the request and discuss it with an attorney before complying.

Documents You Should Have Ready at All Times

Employers should maintain an organized, accessible set of H-1B compliance documents at every worksite. Scrambling for documents during a site visit creates a poor impression and delays the process unnecessarily. The following documents should be readily available for every H-1B employee at their primary worksite:

Complete I-129 petition file including the approval notice, the original petition support letter, and all exhibits submitted to USCIS
Certified Labor Condition Application with the DOL certification stamp and all supporting documents
Public Access File (PAF) maintained separately from the employee’s personnel file and containing all required LCA documentation
LCA posting notice records showing that the notice was posted at the worksite for ten consecutive business days
Payroll records for the past 12 to 24 months confirming that the employee received at least the LCA wage consistently
Job description and organizational chart showing the employee’s position, reporting structure, and team
Work location evidence such as office lease agreements, key card access records, or client site letters confirming the employee works at the approved location
Employee credentials including degree diplomas, transcripts, and professional certifications

In 2026, digitizing these records is strongly recommended. FDNS officers increasingly accept electronic copies. Keeping backup copies off-site or in secure cloud storage ensures you can produce documents even if the primary file is not immediately accessible.

Quick Tip from Experience: Train your front desk staff before a site visit ever happens. They are the first point of contact when an officer walks in. They do not need to know immigration law. They need to know three things: ask to see credentials, do not leave the officer alone, and call the designated HR contact immediately. That 90-second script handles the first five minutes of every site visit correctly and buys your immigration attorney time to join by phone.

Remote Workers and Site Visits: The 2026 Reality

Remote work has created one of the most significant compliance challenges in the current H-1B enforcement environment. USCIS has clarified that for H-1B workers whose primary worksite is their home, FDNS officers may visit that home address to conduct the site inspection.

This is not hypothetical. Reports from early 2026 confirm that FDNS officers have conducted site visits at residential addresses listed as H-1B worksites. For remote workers, this means the same verification standards apply at home as at a corporate office. The employer must have a certified LCA covering the employee’s home location. The employee must be genuinely performing the petitioned duties from that location. And both parties must be able to produce the same compliance documentation that would be required at a traditional worksite.

Furthermore, employees working remotely from a location different from their LCA-approved worksite face heightened risk. If the FDNS officer visits the approved worksite and finds no evidence that the employee works there, that creates a significant compliance problem. Talk to your employer’s immigration attorney if your regular work location does not match what is on your LCA.

What Triggers a Targeted Site Visit

While some site visits are random, others are targeted based on specific risk factors. Knowing these factors helps employers and workers understand their relative risk level.

IT staffing and third-party placement arrangements: These consistently receive the most FDNS attention. Petitions where the H-1B worker will be placed at a client site rather than working directly for the petitioning employer are considered higher risk.
Worksite changes without amendments: If an employee’s actual location differs from the approved LCA worksite and no amendment was filed, this creates a compliance gap that FDNS specifically targets.
Prior RFEs or compliance issues: Employers who previously received RFEs, NOIDs, or compliance findings are more likely to receive follow-up site visits.
High-volume H-1B filers: Employers who sponsor large numbers of H-1B workers receive proportionally more site visits simply because of their footprint in the program.
New office petitions: Employers who petitioned based on a newly established US office face higher scrutiny to verify that the business operations described in the petition have actually materialized.
Tip line reports: USCIS operates a tip line where anyone can report suspected H-1B violations. Tip-based investigations can trigger targeted site visits at any employer regardless of size or filing volume.

H-1B Site Visit Readiness Checklist

Use this checklist to assess your current preparedness before a visit occurs:

✓ Public Access File is complete, current, and stored separately from the employee personnel file at every worksite
✓ Certified LCA covers the employee’s actual current work location including home address if remote
✓ Pay stubs for the past 24 months confirm wages at or above the LCA prevailing wage with no gaps
✓ I-129 petition file including approval notice and all exhibits is accessible at the worksite within minutes
✓ LCA posting records show the notice was posted for ten consecutive business days at the worksite
✓ Employee credentials including degrees and professional licenses are on file and accessible
✓ Immigration attorney’s direct phone number is posted or saved at the front desk and in HR
✓ Front desk staff know to verify credentials, not leave the officer alone, and call HR immediately
✓ Any worksite address changes have been addressed with LCA amendments if required
✓ Employee job duties as currently performed match the duties described in the approved I-129

After the Site Visit: What Happens Next

After the visit, the FDNS officer compiles a compliance review report. In most cases where everything checks out, USCIS files the report and takes no further action. The site visit simply becomes a record confirming the petition’s accuracy.

If the officer identifies discrepancies, USCIS may issue an RFE requesting clarification or additional documentation. In more serious cases, USCIS may issue a Notice of Intent to Revoke an approved petition. In the most serious cases involving fraud or willful misrepresentation, the matter may be referred to ICE or DOJ for further action.

Contact your immigration attorney immediately after any site visit, regardless of how smoothly it appeared to go. Your attorney should review what was asked and answered, assess whether any compliance issues were identified, and determine whether any proactive steps are needed before USCIS takes any follow-up action.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are H-1B site visits mandatory to participate in?

Yes. Under USCIS regulations updated in 2025, participation in site visits is mandatory for employers sponsoring H-1B workers. Non-cooperation can result in petition denial or revocation. Employers and employees must cooperate with FDNS officers and provide reasonable access to worksites and relevant documentation.

Can an FDNS officer visit a remote worker at home?

Yes. USCIS clarified in 2025 that home addresses listed as H-1B worksites on LCA filings are subject to FDNS site inspections. Reports from early 2026 confirm that residential site visits are occurring. Remote workers whose home address is their approved LCA worksite should be prepared for this possibility and ensure their home setup reflects the work described in their petition.

Do I need a lawyer present during a site visit?

You cannot postpone a site visit to wait for legal counsel. However, you can and should contact your immigration attorney by phone the moment an officer arrives. Your attorney can participate remotely in real time. Always have immigration counsel’s contact information immediately accessible at every worksite.

What is the Public Access File and where should it be kept?

The Public Access File is a required set of LCA-related documents that employers must maintain for each H-1B worker. It must be available for public inspection within one working day of filing the LCA. It must be kept separately from the employee’s personal file. It must be retained for one year after the employee’s last day of employment under the LCA or until the LCA expires, whichever is later.

What happens if USCIS finds a compliance problem during a site visit?

Depending on the severity, USCIS may issue an RFE requesting explanation or documentation, a Notice of Intent to Revoke the approved petition, or in serious fraud cases, refer the matter to law enforcement. Contacting your immigration attorney immediately after the visit is essential to assess what was found and how to respond appropriately.

Site visits are now a routine part of H-1B compliance in 2026. They are not something to fear if your employment arrangement is genuinely compliant. They are something to prepare for seriously because unpreparedness compounds simple problems into significant ones. Keep your documents organized. Ensure your worksite matches your LCA. Pay your employees the LCA wage consistently. Train your front desk staff on how to respond when an officer arrives. And have your immigration attorney’s number saved and ready. That is genuinely most of what site visits test, and none of it is complicated if you have built the habit of staying current.

Important Disclaimer: The information on this page is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration law changes frequently. Always verify current rules at USCIS.gov and consult a licensed immigration attorney before making any filing decisions.

Policy references reflect USCIS and Department of Labor guidelines as of May 2026. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.