'Where are 12 H-1B workers? ': Indian-American group says consulting firms operating from home address in Texas not illegal

Indian-American investors and advocacy groups came together to shred Texas woman Sara Gonzales's massive H-1B expose to pieces and asserted that she has no idea how the H-1B staffing works in the US. In her viral video, Gonzales targeted two companies: 3Bees Technologies and Qubitz Tech Systems, and claimed that these two companies hired H-1Bs but when she visited the addresses, she found no office, no work.

Indian American Advocacy Council co-founder Rajeev Sharma said it is completely legal to start a business listing the home address, the way Apple, Google, Amazon and Disney did. Legal immigrants trying to work should not be harassed, Sharma said, adding that Gonzales herself might be in the US illegally.

What is the major outburst over Sara Gonzales' video?

Gonzales visited the house of Hari Madiraju, the visa contact person for Qubitz and asked whether the 12 H-1B workers that he hired were working from his house. Hari called 911 and said: "Somebody is knocking on my door and then they are like threatening me. ... Please, can you help me?"

The video stirred a strong reaction from 'America First' activists who questioned if Hari did not do anything wrong, why he did not clarify it and why he instead called the police. James Blunt, a US-based entrepreneur, said Gonzales does not understand how the H-1B works. Staffing companies hiring H-1Bs on behalf of IT companies is legal and an established practise. "Contracting workers out to end clients is not a red flag—it’s the backbone of staffing and consulting. This is explicitly allowed and commonplace. Calling it “weird” doesn’t make it illegal; it just makes her uninformed," Blunt wrote.

What is legal and not a red flag in an H-1B staffing company?

• The client's address is listed on the LCA (Labon Condition Application)
• Candidate's wage matches LCA location
• Employment relationship is genuine
• Home work is infrequent or hybrid (local)
• LLC (limited Liability Company) address listed at the owner's home does not mean all H-1B candidates work from there
• The operating office can be at another location in the same city where day-to-day work takes place.

Both companies are likely linked to Telugus

Gonzales said the phone numbers listed on the 3Bees Technologies website are all Indian numbers and the address mentioned is in Telangana, India. The director, president and agent of the company was listed as Vamsi Krishna Vajinapally, Gonzales said.