H-1B Workers File A Petition To Extend Their Stay

Due to slowdown in the American economy, many experts fear massive layoffs in various sectors due to the COVID-19 crisis that is hitting businesses around the globe, foreign technology professionals holding H-1B visas, the most sought after among Indians, have demanded the US government to extend their permissible post-job loss limit to stay in the US from the existing 60 to 180 days.

The current federal rules require an H-1B candidate to leave the country along with their family within 60 days of losing their job. According to an estimate, some 47 million people could be rendered unemployed.

Initial reports suggest that several H-1B employees are being laid off. The H-1B visa holders have started a petition campaign on the White House website to extend the timeline for their stay in the United States after they are being laid off.

"We request the government to temporarily extend the 60-day grace period to 180 days and protect the H1B workers under these difficult times," says the petition that so far has attracted more than 20,000 signatures. A minimum of 100,000 signatures is required to get a response from the White House.