Does the beneficiary have to sign the I-129 petition?

Hi, recently my future employer hired an immigration attorney to handle the filing and follow up of our H1b petition. They submitted the petition to the INS without my signature. My question is, do I, as the beneficiary of the H1b visa, have to sign the petition? Or is it ok for them to just go ahead and file it without my signature? Please help enlighten me on this matter. Thanks in advance.
Best regards,
Dave

Hi, recently my future employer hired an immigration attorney to handle the filing and follow up of our H1b petition. They submitted the petition to the INS without my signature. My question is, do I, as the beneficiary of the H1b visa, have to sign the petition? Or is it ok for them to just go ahead and file it without my signature? Please help enlighten me on this matter. Thanks in advance.
Best regards,
Dave

Hi there.

The I-129 is a petition. This means that someone such as a US employer petitions the US Government (INS) on your behalf. Therefore, the petitioner (the US employer) signs the I-129. None of the H-1B forms are given to you for signature, as they are completely handled by the US employer.

Of course, if you have a dependent in H-4 status, that dependent will have to sign the I-539, because the I-539 is not a petition, but an application.

There is a difference between petitions and applications. The applicant signs an application, but the petitioner signs a petition, even when this petition benefits someone else.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the info. Can I ask you another question? Does a past immigrant petition affect in anyway the chances of getting an H1b visa petition approved, especially if the immigrant petition is still pending. I hope to hear from you again.