Will losing the 60-day job-search cushion force H-1B workers to take lower pay?
The department of homeland security (DHS) is advancing a proposal to eliminate the 60-day grace period that allows H-1B workers and certain other legal nonimmigrants to remain in the US after their employment ends while they find another sponsor, change status, or prepare to leave.
The proposed rule, RIN 1615-AD22, went to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review Thursday.
Under current regulations, an H-1B worker whose employment ends can generally remain in the US for up to 60 days — or until the authorised stay expires, whichever comes first.
The grace period was created by a DHS regulation that took effect in 2017, recognising a rather obvious fact about modern employment: companies sometimes fire people.
Will losing the 60-day job-search cushion force H-1B workers to take lower pay?
Chidanand Rajghatta
TNN Updated: Aug 09, 2026, 20:20 IST IST
Washington: For highly skilled foreign workers in America, a majority of whom are from India, the Trump administration has apparently decided that losing a job isn’t stressful enough. The department of homeland security (DHS) is advancing a proposal to eliminate the 60-day grace period that allows H-1B workers and certain other legal nonimmigrants to remain in the US after their employment ends while they find another sponsor, change status, or prepare to leave.
The proposed rule, RIN 1615-AD22, went to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review Thursday. It is not yet law. Under current regulations, an H-1B worker whose employment ends can generally remain in the US for up to 60 days — or until the authorised stay expires, whichever comes first. The grace period was created by a DHS regulation that took effect in 2017, recognising a rather obvious fact about modern employment: companies sometimes fire people.
