To continue employment at Ohio State beyond the current H-1B petition end date, another H-1B petition must be submitted to USCIS to extend the H-1B status of a foreign national. The maximum period for H-1B status is six years unless an individual is currently in the permanent residency process. See Permanent Residency for more details.
An H-1B petition for extension requires all the same procedures and materials listed in Step by Step and takes 4-7 months. Employing departments should submit H-1B extension paperwork to the Office of International Affairs 8-10 months prior to the expiration of the current H-1B petition.
Since the individual is in the H-1B status, the employee can continue to work as long as International Affairs has received the official receipt notice from USCIS before the current H-1B petition expires. The receipt notice is received 3 weeks after the petition is submitted to USCIS. However, the official H-1B approval notice is required for re-entry after travel outside the United States and needed for applying for a U.S. visa stamp.