American entrepreneur James Blunt, who speaks on social media about immigration issues, said he's shocked but not surprised as the US administration drops another new proposal that would affect millions of foreign workers. When an H-1B worker loses their job in the US, they are allowed to stay in the country for 60 days which allows them to look for another job. But the Department of Homeland Security is advancing a proposal to do away with this grace period, Bloomberg reported.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
"Think about how ridiculous that is. 60 days is 8 weeks," Blunt said.
"An American leaving a high-paying professional job can easily spend longer than 8 weeks interviewing and finding the right position and they don’t have their legal ability to remain in the country tied to the outcome," he said. "An H-1B worker has to find the job, interview, get the offer, find an employer willing to sponsor the visa and get the immigration process moving."
"And these are people who can lose their jobs through no fault of their own. Company downsizes on Friday and apparently your immigration status should start imploding on Monday? What exactly is accomplished by making an already stressful situation deliberately cruel?" Blunt asked.
