IMPORTANT: H1B workers seek 180 instead of 60-day stay in US post-unemployment period

Fearing massive layoffs in America due to coronavirus crisis that is hitting businesses around globe, foreign techlogy professionals on H-1B visas, most sought after among Indians, demand Trump administration extend ir permissible post-job loss limit to stay in US from existing 60 to 180 days.

H-1B visa is a n-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require oretical or technical expertise. techlogy companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

current federal rules require an H-1B visa holder to leave US along with ir family members within 60 days of losing ir job.

Ecomic experts fear massive layoffs in various sectors of American ecomy due to current ecomic distress that is only going to deteriorate in coming weeks and months.

A record 3.3 million Americans have filed initial jobless claims for week ending March 21.

Even as peak of coronavirus in US is some two weeks away, millions of people in US have already lost ir jobs.

According to an estimate, some 47 million people could be rendered unemployed.

Those on H-1B visas are t eligible to unemployment benefits. y are also t entitled to social security benefits, even though re is deductions from ir salary for this purpose.

Initial reports suggest that quite a number of H-1B employees are being laid off. In some cases, companies have already informed ir H-1B employees that y are on top of list of being fired.

As such, H-1B visa holders have started a petition campaign on White House website to extend timeline for ir stay in US after y are being laid off.

"We request government to temporarily extend 60-day grace period to 180 days and protect H1B workers under se difficult times," says petition which so far has attracted more than 20,000 signatures.

It requires a minimum of 100,000 petitions to get a response from White House.

COVID-19 situation is getting worse with massive lay-offs expected. ecomic conditions may have a significant impact on H1B workers, petition says.

"Under regulations, H-1B workers have a 60-day grace period of unemployment time during each authorised validity period to stay in USA legally. y must find new work within 60 days; orwise, y have to leave country," petition said.

"Most H-1B workers are from India and cant travel home with children who are US Citizens as many nations anunced an entry ban, including India. H-1B workers cater to ecomy at large, mainly supporting IT Industry with high tax contributions," petition says.

A total of 782,365 COVID-19 cases have been reported across more than 175 countries and territories with 37,582 deaths reported so far. America has highest number of cases with a total of 161,807 reported infections, according to Johns Hopkins University data.