Lawmakers Urge More Time for Laid-Off H-1B Workers to Find Jobs

The Department of Homeland Security should extend the grace period for foreign workers who were affected by a recent wave of tech industry layoffs to find new sponsors for their employment-based visas, two lawmakers representing Silicon Valley said.

Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) in a letter Thursday asked DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ur Jaddou to increase the deadline from the current 60 days to 120 days. Workers on H-1B specialty occupation visas typically must find new employers within that window or leave the country.

Forcing those workers on temporary visas ...