WASHINGTON: Comment deadlines on two US visa proposals that affect Telugu tech workers fall this week. Comments on a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposal to remove the 60-day grace period for laid-off visa holders close at midnight US Eastern time on November 10, about 10:30 AM IST on November 11.
The grace-period proposal
- Published on September 11, it covers H-1B, H-1B1, L-1, O-1, TN and E workers and their dependants.
- Today a worker who loses a job has up to 60 days to find a new sponsor, change status or leave. The proposal would remove that window.
- 27,123 comments had been filed by November 2. It is still a proposal; the current grace period remains in force.
A second rule on extensions
Comments close on November 13 on a proposal to end "deference", under which officers do not re-examine points already approved when an H-1B is extended. DHS estimates it would affect about 2,08,000 extension petitions a year and add about 6,000 requests for evidence (RFEs).
In FY2024, USCIS approved about 3,99,000 H-1B petitions, 71% of them for India-born workers, who also made up 79% of continuing-employment approvals. DHS must issue a final rule after the comment period; no date has been set.
