yes, J1 can be changed to H1. but make sure he does nt get such requirement like i mentioned above. if he gets such thing, it makes life very complicated. he has to go through long process and get waiver letter from nepal embassy and get approval letter from USCIS. however, if his visa status is j1 without such thing, he should be fine. he can file for h1b later if his employer said that he can do it later. he needs to get waiver letter from nepal embassy before doing that.