Trump administration mulls ending 60-day grace period for H-1B visa holders; Indians likely to hit hard
PTC News Desk: The US government has proposed ending 60-day grace period that allows certain foreign workers, including skilled professionals on H-1B visas, to remain in the United States and look for a new sponsor after losing their jobs.
The proposed change could significantly affect Indian technology professionals, who make up a large share of H-1B visa holders and work across the US technology and services sector.
Under a proposal published by the US Department of Homeland Security in the Federal Register on Thursday, H-1B and some other temporary work visa holders could be required to leave the US soon after their employment ends. They would no longer get the current 60-day grace period to find another job or make arrangements to leave the country.
The 60-day grace period has been in place since 2017. It allows foreign workers who lose their jobs to look for another US employer willing to sponsor them or prepare to return home. The period also gives them time to manage practical matters such as housing and their children's schooling.
Indian tech workers among those most affected
H-1B visas are particularly important to the US technology sector, which depends heavily on skilled professionals from countries such as India and China.
Indian IT companies including Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCLTech and LTIMindtree are among the major H-1B sponsors. Consultancy firms such as Deloitte, PwC and Ernst & Young are also significant sponsors.
For Indian professionals working in the US, the proposed change could leave them with much less time to find a new employer after being laid off.
The proposal is the latest step by the Trump administration to tighten legal migration since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
The administration has already introduced higher visa fees for skilled workers and recently paused immigrant visa appointments at US missions worldwide while a new training programme is being implemented.
The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged that companies could face some disruption if the proposal is implemented. However, it said the affected positions could instead be offered to American workers.
Under the proposal, employers would either offer the positions to “equally qualified U.S. workers” or use the I-129 petition process if they need to retain foreign workers.
- PTC NEWS
