Staying in US past H1B

[wei]

Hi - I wanted to ask about staying in the US past my H1-B work status. I am in the process of quitting my job, but would like to stay a little longer in order to attend a friend's wedding. I will only need to stay an extra 9 days. According to this faq (https://www.immihelp.com/h1-visa-lay-off-job-loss-faq/) it seems that I will need to leave the country immediately after my employment ends unless I apply for a change of status. Is this correct? Does anyone know how long the change of status usually takes, since I will probably out of the country in less then two weeks?

-Thanks!

[shervin143]

Yes, you need to file the change of status to B1/B2 to legally stay in the country. Alternatively, you can go to a neighbouring country, get the visitors visa and re-enter as a visitor. Any time spent in U.S after the H1B expiry date without a valid COS will be treated as illegal stay and may cause issues with your future petitions and visa process.