It is tied to a company (and job description, and location). Any change in those requires amending/transferring the H1B, even just switching locations within the same company.

I found this out the hard way when I accidentally gave the lawyers my company's headquarters address instead of the office where I would be working. They're like 35 miles apart but that still required an amendment.

Plus while on H1B I can't sell a mobile app, or monetize a Youtube channel (things I could of course do if I were living in my home country), or even rent a room on AirBnB, as my visa restricts me to income from my sponsoring employer. Luckily I should have a green card soon.

As a former H1-B, I might be able to help.

You can change jobs as an H1-B: In fact, I did once, when my first employer was doing constant rounds of layoffs, and I got antsy. It's not easy, as many companies won't sponsor H1-Bs at all, but the real kicker is that most H1-Bs, me included, wanted to stay longer than the 6 year maximum.

We see H1-B as the one way to stay permanently. First you get an H1-B, and maybe in the middle of it, or at the start of the second one, you get your company to sponsor you for a Green Card. If you have real qualifications, it's a very high probability process, but it's very slow. Back when I did it at least, it was VERY, VERY slow. During the process, you can keep renewing your H1-B a third, and even a fourth time, past the 6 year maximum, so barring the company going belly up, or a layoff, you'll eventually be able to stay forever, and get paid real market rates. But during the process, changing jobs is very hard, as changing jobs at the wrong time can make you have to start the process all over again. You might also have had to sign an agreement paying back the costs incurred if you leave before it's all done + 1 year, and that can be 15K, easy, so it's a big deterrent to change jobs.

In my case, I had mild salary increases while I was getting the green card. Now, 3 years later, I make more than double what I made then, in the same town, because now I can actually negotiate without a sword over my head, and change jobs if there is a high enough bidder out there.

> get paid real market rates vs > Now, 3 years later, I make more than double what I made then, in the same town, because now I can actually negotiate without a sword over my head

Yea I think you are contradicting yourself here.

It doesn't tie you to a specific company, but your new company has to be able to go through the H1B process for you as well which definitely increases switching friction.