The Trump administration in the US is now considering a proposal to eliminate the 60-day grace period for foreign workers to find a new job. Since the US has a large population of Indian professionals and workers, such a decision by the Trump administration is likely to have a significant impact on Indians. Indian citizens constitute the largest number of foreigners who benefit from the H-1B visa, which is granted to skilled professionals in the US.

60-Day Grace Period Is Likely To End

Foreign citizens come to the US on non-immigrant visas, such as work visas, and perform various jobs, a large number of whom are Indians. However, if they lose their jobs for any reason, they are granted a 60-day grace period to find other contract-based work. However, the Trump administration is now seriously considering eliminating this grace period.

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Foreigners Will Have To Leave The US Immediately After Losing Job

Ending the grace period means if foreigners worker loses their job due to termination of their contract or other reasons, they and their families would have to leave the US immediately. The US Department of Homeland Security is considering a proposal. The information about the proposal is provided on the website of the Federal Office of Management and Budget.

Other provisions of the proposal have not yet been made public. As of now, in the event of job loss, foreign nationals and their families were given the option to stay in the US for 60 days while looking for a new job. This facility is available to non-immigrant visa holders such as E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, H-1B1, L-1, O-1, and TN.

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If the Trump administration accepts the proposal regarding foreign workers, it will create major difficulties for professionals and workers of all categories. Jobless professionals will not get a grace period to find a new one.

Meanwhile, it is not yet clear how many days they will get to make the necessary arrangements to leave America. It is worth noting that Indian citizens have the highest number of beneficiaries of H-1B visas given to skilled professionals in America. In 2024, 71 per cent of the people who got a visa in this category were Indians. However, the total number of people of Indian origin in America is 52 lakh.

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