The Trump administration has proposed eliminating a 60-day grace period that allows certain immigrants, including skilled workers on H-1B visas, to stay in the United States and find a new sponsor after losing their job, according to a government notice posted online Thursday.
His administration has also introduced higher visa fees for skilled workers and recently paused immigrant visa appointments at US missions around the world while it implements a new training program. In some situations, immigrant workers who leave could potentially reapply if their employer petitions for them, it added. It is the latest step by US President Donald Trump to limit legal migration since returning to office in January 2025. H-1B visas, established by Congress in 1990, are especially critical for tech companies seeking talent from India and China, allowing them to fill roles where there is sometimes a lack of qualified US workers.
Companies impacted by the change could see some disruption, DHS wrote in its proposal, but it said the jobs could go to American workers instead. “DHS presumes that they will either offer the same jobs to equally qualified US workers or go through the I-129 petition process depending on their workforce requirement,” the notice said. Lawyers for Berardi Immigration Law, which specializes in business-related immigration issues, said the move would “sharply compress the timeline HR teams have to manage layoffs and offboarding for foreign national employees.”
