The Coronavirus pandemic has severely hit businesses and industries all around the globe. This has led to huge layoffs in the US especially in the IT industry. The H1B visa for international tech professionals happens to be the most sought –after visa to the US among Indians.
Fearing even more layoffs in the comings weeks and months, H1B visa holders in the US have requested the Trump administration to extend their stay in the US to 180 days from the permissible 60-day limit.
Grace Period
H1B visa holders and Green card applicants who were served notices for additional documents will have an extra 60 days to make these submissions. The grace period has allowed immigrants to breathe a little more freely since their status would otherwise since the USCIS has stopped all in-person interviews and its offices are closed to the public till June 3rd.
This grace period is applicable to those petitions that were served notices between March 1st and July 1st for
- Requests for Evidence
- Continuations to Request Evidence (N- 14)
- Notices of Intent to Deny
- Noticed of Intent to Revoke
- Notices of Intent to Rescind
- Notices of Intent to terminate regional investment centers
- Notice of Appeal or Motion
What Is H1B Visa?
- This is a non-immigrant visa to the USA
- For international workers seeking employment in specialty occupations
- These occupations require expertise- both technical and theoretical
- Companies in the US rely on this visa to hire several thousands of international employees
- Mostly from countries like China and India
- The H1B visa holder and their family have to leave this country within 60 days of being laid off
- This is based on the federal rules applicable to this visa
Read more about H1B visa here
Foreign-Born Individual In The USA In 2019
- China: 2.9 million
- India: 2.7 million
Foreign-Born Becoming US Citizens And Getting Green Card
| Foreign-Born Becoming US Citizens (% of total) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Mexico | 16.8 | 17.3 | 14.6 |
| India | 7.2 | 6.9 | 7.5 |
| China | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.7 |
| Foreign-Born Getting Green Card (% of total) | |||
| Mexico | 15.1 | 14.8 | 15.1 |
| India | 5.4 | 5.5 | 6.0 |
| China | 6.3 | 5.9 | 5.2 |
H1B Visa – Top 3 Countries Of Origin
| Country | New Visa | Extension |
|---|---|---|
| India | 67,815 | 208,608 |
| China | 15,165 | 19,312 |
| Canada | 2,226 | 1,532 |
The Current Job Market In The US
- The US economy is expected to further deteriorate due to the present financial downturn
- Financial experts expect huge layoffs in the coming months
- This will be seen in several sectors in the US economy
- Millions of people (including H1B employees) have already lost their jobs
- The number is expected to go much higher once the country hits the peak of Coronavirus epidemic
- America has witnessed the highest number of claims filed for unemployment during the week that ended on the 21st of March
- Around 3.3 million people have filed for the claim
- 695,000 was the highest number that was ever recorded in the US (October 1982)
- Around 50 to 70 million Americans are expected to be unemployed by the end of April
Request Put Forward By American Tech Workers To Trump Administration
- US Tech workers, a non-profit organization in the US have requested the Trump administration not to approve any more employment visas to the international workers
- This includes halting the H1B Visa that is expected to bring around 85,000 foreign workers
- They’ve also requested to suspend the H-2B visas of 35,000 workers that have been already approved
- The organization calls themselves as the voices of American workers affected by the H1B visas
- They state that the decision is necessary to support the unemployed Americans
The Current Situation Of H1B Visa Holders In The US
- According to the initial reports, a huge number of H1B workers are being laid off
- Some organizations have notified their H1B employees that their names are on the top of the list of the workers to be laid off
- The H1B employees are not eligible for unemployment benefits
- These workers are not entitled to Social Security Benefits as well (Though the amount is being deducted each month from their salary)
Petition Submitted By H1B Visa Holders In The US
- A petition campaign has been started by the H1B visa holders in the US
- This is on the website of the White House
- They’ve requested the Trump administration to extend their grace period from 60 Days to 180 days
- This is to protect the H1B employees who’ve been laid off by their employers in the US
- The current regulations require the H1B employees to find a new job within the 60-Day grace period
- The petition states that the present economic situation would make it difficult to find a job within that time limit
- Besides, they’ve pointed out that play a significant role in supporting the IT industry in the US
- A high amount is paid by H1B visa holders as tax contributions
- So far the petition has attracted more than 20,000 signatures
- For the White House to respond a minimum of 100,000 signatures are required
Most of the employees under this visa are Indians. They have children who are American citizens. Countries including India have introduced entry ban for foreigners due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This makes it impossible for these visa holders to travel back to their native with their families
Also See
- COVID-19 – Visa Freeze By US Embassy In India And Its Effect On IT Sector
- Coronavirus In USA – Trump’s Europen Travel Ban Explained
- Coronavirus Travel Restrictions And Border Shutdowns – A country-Wise List
- COVID-19 And The US Immigration Ban: The Plight Of International Students And IT Professionals
