I'm 99% certain actually being on the payroll of multiple companies while on H1B is a felony. You can still be working for your original employer while your pet

I'm 99% certain actually being on the payroll of multiple companies while on H1B is a felony. You can still be working for your original employer while your petition with the new one is underway, or start working with the new one once you receive your petition receipt, but definitely not both at the same time. I'm not sure what industry you're in, but 20k out of a software dev's 60k-100k salary is a very very big drop, especially for a junior/fresh grad hire. And of course, 20k lump sum is out of the question for many startups.