Working without OPT card in hand

[hjeong1]

My friend has worked for a company before she got the real OPT card (is this the EAD card?). She says she worked for 9 days before it was actually approved and has worked for 5 months without the card because it was lost in the mail. Her manager originally said it would be okay to start working without it and they wanted her to work immediately. Now, the company is not doing anything to address her problem and just follows the regular procedures, like IRS tax report and stuffs.

I guess she has worked without a work permit and this is a serious violation of us immigration laws - is this right?
If so, what penalty will she get? They already applied for her H-1 and it was approved just days ago.

If USCIS gets to know she has worked without the permit, will her new H-1B become invalid immediately and will she be out of status?

Will this affect future GC processing?

Many thanks in advance

 

[great guru]

Opt

Make sure that her pay stub indicate the start date is OPT approved date. Do not receive 9 days pay. Make sure it is not going to records (9 days).

 

[xalidag]

great guru is right, those nine days could cause a problem. Working for five months without the card in hand shouldn't be a problem, as long as the work permission is approved in the system. While many employers may not hire you without the card in your hand, technically it is just a representation and all that legally matters is what's in the system.