Now Reading: US Considers Ending 60-Day H-1B Job Search Grace Period
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US Considers Ending 60-Day H-1B Job Search Grace Period
The White House Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a proposal to remove the 60-day grace period that lets H-1B and other visa holders stay in the US after losing their…
The Story in Brief
The White House Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a proposal to remove the 60-day grace period that lets H-1B and other visa holders stay in the US after losing their jobs. If finalised, workers and their dependants would have to leave almost immediately when their employment ends, eliminating the current window to find a new employer or change status. The change would hit Indians hard: 71% of approved H-1B petitions in 2024 were for Indian-born beneficiaries, and over 5.2 million people of Indian origin live in the US.
The grace period, introduced in 2017, currently covers E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, H-1B1, L-1, O-1 and TN visa holders. Without it, workers could not switch employers or adjust status from inside the US unless USCIS intervenes. The proposal is not yet a final rule, and full details have not been publicly released.
The Indian Opinion
The proposed end to the 60-day grace period is being painted either as a necessary clampdown on visa abuse or as a harsh blow to skilled workers. The truth is more basic: US immigration law has always prioritised flexibility for its own labour market. Indians, who got 71% of H-1B approvals last year, will feel the squeeze hardest. But framing this only as anti-Indian misses the point, every non-immigrant worker faces the same risk. Watch whether the White House offers a phase-out or transition window before finalising a rule that could upend thousands of lives.
Source: ndtv.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
