Extending H-1B visa grace period from 60 to 180 days

We have a bubble in SWE hiring in the USA, it peaked in July 2021 at 220% of normal hiring!<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;fredblog.stlouisfed.org&#x2F;2023&#x2F;03&#x2F;was-there-a-tech-hiring-bubble&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;fredblog.stlouisfed.org&#x2F;2023&#x2F;03&#x2F;was-there-a-tech-hir...</a><p>It makes no sense to keep all the unemployed H1Bs since they usually are laid off as a last resort due to the impact it will have on their lives. Since they often get favoritism in layoffs, why favor them even more?<p>I know many American Citizens for example a Chinese-born and naturalized guy who said in 2009 he was laid off first in a team of 18 Chinese H1Bs because the rest of the team &quot;would have to go home!&quot; He was not just good he was an authority on OSPF - I hired him for my startup in 2003. In 2011 he went back to Cisco in the same division at an architect (even higher) rank ...

I’ve been renting a house in (what amounts to) an Intel&#x2F;Nike company town where quite literally 70-80% of my entire neighborhood is Chinese or Indian.<p>Having been already aware of the abused visa program and the green card restrictions, it still didn’t prepare me for the multiple times I’ve seen neighbors’ children bawling their eyes out from getting displaced in the middle of the school year.<p>It’s asinine that so much attention and faux empathy is showered on the nearly 3 million people annually who decide to break the law before even getting into the country while nobody important seems to care about the problems facing the people who came here legally to quietly chase their own dreams and pay their taxes.

It&#x27;s stupid there is one at all. I prefer the system Hong Kong uses for work visas. They&#x27;re issued for 2-3 years and are valid till that time. If you quit, get laid off, whatever before that time your visa to stay is still valid until the original set time. You just won&#x27;t be able to extend it again until you have a new job&#x2F;sponsor. Makes planning much easier by setting expectations for a certain date in the future.

What I find confusing is that on the one hand it says it will be implemented in three months, but on the other hand it&#x27;s called a recommendation.

I spent about $125k pursuing my bachelors and masters degree in CS because my parents (who had nothing to do with my life whatsoever) made too much money, and I didn&#x27;t quality for any aids or grants. It took me a decade to pay this off.<p>Considering guest workers usually spend almost nothing for their degrees, it seems that Americans begin their careers with a significant financial disadvantage in comparison.<p>Why can&#x27;t people on these programs, or the employers of these people, be required to contribute to an education fund to help ensure domestic workers can compete?

So the background on this is that the grace period is a discretionary matter decided by USCIS and not a part of the legislation itself. A couple of months ago when the layoffs got past a critical threshold, people started asking for an extension in the grace period. At the time, USCIS&#x27; response was that changing the rule itself will take more than 60 days, so it&#x27;s moot. Which is a bit silly since layoffs continue to happen. This recommendation to extend it though is just a recommendation, and there is no official word from USCIS on whether they are considering any change.

What use does the US have for 100k laid off H-1Bs?

Those H1Bs should re-enter the US illegally, preferrably thru the southern border, and get their &quot;grace period&quot; extended indefinitely.

A mockery of our laws.<p>H1-B is intended for companies that are unable to fill a specific role within that company. It is NOT a free green card. It is NOT a free pass to citizenship.<p>Once that role is gone, so is their visa. This is what they agreed to. Their visa’s should be revoked. If they choose to get another visa through another company after this they have the ability to do so.