Trump Administration Proposes Ending 60-Day Grace Period for H-1B Workers After Job Loss
RegulationMacro
The Trump administration has proposed eliminating the 60-day grace period that lets H-1B visa holders and certain other temporary workers stay in the United States to find a new sponsor after losing their jobs. The planned rule change, published in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, would require those workers to leave the country as soon as their employment ends, a potential blow to top American tech companies that rely heavily on foreign workers. The grace period has been in place since 2017 and gives foreign workers time to find another U.S. job or get their affairs in order before leaving. The change would also apply to E-1 international trader visa holders, E-2 commercial vehicle operator visa holders, L-1 short-term work for executives or managers with international companies, O-1 visas for people with extraordinary ability in science, sports or the arts, TN professional workers, H-1B1 skilled worker visa holders from Singapore and Chile, and E-3 specialty worker visa holders from Australia. DHS said companies could see some disruption but that the jobs could go to American workers instead, and that in some situations immigrant workers who leave could reapply if their employer petitions for them. The rule is subject to a two-month public comment period before it can be enacted into law.
