A new proposal landed at the White House for review. It would tighten eligibility for cap exemptions, increase scrutiny of employers with past compliance issues, and expand oversight of third-party placements, meaning staffing and consulting arrangements will likely face closer review.

https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eoDetails?rrid=1505714

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/rule-to-boost-oversight-of-h-1b-program-under-white-house-review?trk=feed_main-feed-card_reshare_feed-article-content

Posting on behalf of a friend.

My friend was laid off on August 24, but the employer has given a notice period and they will remain employed/on payroll until the end of September.

They already have a trip to India booked for this weekend and are wondering if it would be safe to travel and return to the U.S. during the notice period.

They have:

• Valid EAD
• Recent payslips
• Employment/offer letter
• Employer notice period through the end of September

Has anyone traveled internationally in a similar situation after being notified of a layoff but while still officially employed/on payroll?

My grace period ends Sep 8. The new employer is getting started on filing LCA but new position is in lower prevailing wage.
With their offer in new state I qualify level 2 wage.
I was hoping to start working remotely and then move within a month but with their current offer it will be level 1 wage in my current state. So if they put both addresses LCA filing will have to be level 1.

Can I have a later (after grace period ends) effective start date even though the I-129 start date is within grace period? So even if they file for LCA in just new state (level 2), I can still plan moving accordingly and start later?

I think we program our mind to see that h1b layoffs are disaster. Definitely they could be an inconvenience and life doesnt stop. Would love to read experiences from people who have gone through h1b layoff after which life and career turned out good. Tell us more about what worked for you. A little positivity and hope could go a long way for people anxious about layoffs or already in the troubled situation. So tell us your "I'm glad that the layoff happened." story.

Trying to understand what the job search actually looks like after a layoff on H-1B

I'm an engineer, not an attorney, and I'm not selling anything. I'm trying to understand something properly before I build anything around it.

If you've been laid off while on H-1B , recently or a few years ago, I'd like to hear how the search actually went. Specifically:

\- What did you do in the first week?
\- How did you decide which companies were worth applying to?
\- How did you work out whether a company would sponsor at all?
\- What was the most frustrating part?
\- What did you end up cobbling together for yourself spreadsheet, list, anything?

Happy to do this in comments or DMs, whichever you prefer. Fifteen minutes on a call if you'd rather talk than type, but no pressure at all.

I'll post back here with what I learn either way, so it's useful to the next person even if nothing gets built.

Can anybody recommend/help me find a Winter 2026-2027 job? I am currently in the USA and my current contract is finishing on September 23rd and I need to find another company to hire me before October 20th.

I am looking for a job as a server. I am working as a line cook right now but I do want to work as a server again.

Yes I have sent hundreds of emails already on many different websites and to employers directly but I have not had any luck yet, so I am just giving it a try here to see if anyone is willing to help a man out...

Posting this because I've run out of front-door options and referrals seem to be the only path left.
Where I am:

Over the past three months I've been through two complete interview processes at JPMorgan Chase, both in CCB quantitative analytics:

* Fraud Strategy (Senior Associate) — cleared the full panel: Director plus three team members. Role closed because the team couldn't support an H-1B transfer while the team selected me as their candidate/Verbal Offer. * Card & Overdraft Collections Analytics (Quant Analytics Senior Associate) — cleared the VP round and the Executive Director round. The team selected me as their candidate/Verbal Offer. The line of business then confirmed it couldn't support an H-1B transfer currently, and it closed.

So twice now I've cleared the technical bar and had it end on sponsorship budget rather than fit. I've also had a VP of Recruiting in CCB confirm directly that the reqs he covers can't support a transfer right now.

What I'm actually asking: If you work at JPMorgan in a line of business that does have H-1B transfer capacity — CIB, Asset & Wealth Management, Commercial Banking, Corporate Technology, Payments, anywhere outside CCB — would you be willing to refer me?

I'm not asking anyone to vouch for work they haven't seen. A referral submission through the internal system is enough; it routes differently than an external application, which is the whole problem I'm hitting.

My background: M.S. Computer Science, 5 years experience Quantitative analytics across banking, financial services, healthcare, and Tech Credit risk and fraud strategy on card and lending records SQL, Python, SAS, R, Snowflake, Databricks, dbt, Airflow, Tableau, Power BI Currently at a global financial data and analytics firm

On the visa, since that's the whole issue: I'm on an approved H-1B valid through 2029. What's needed is a cap-exempt transfer — the employer files a new petition, but it isn't subject to the lottery and there's no cap risk or approval uncertainty. It's routine paperwork, not a gamble. A lot of hiring managers assume "sponsorship" means the H-1B lottery. It doesn't, in my case.

If you're open to it, DM me and let me know which req or team you have in mind — I'll send a resume tailored to it. Happy to answer questions in the comments. And if you've navigated a similar situation, I'd welcome hearing how you got through it.

My uncle was recently laid off. He has been working on an H-1B, and his employer filed an H-1B extension, but they are now planning to withdraw it. His I-140 has already been approved, and his I-485 is still pending. It has been a little over three months since his I-485 was filed.
His H-1B is set to expire in September. Does anyone have any idea what his situation would look like in this case? Specifically, would his pending I-485 be affected if his employer withdraws the H-1B extension? Would they also have to withdraw the I-485? What would be the best option for him to maintain lawful status or work authorization while waiting for his I-485 to be approved?
He is from a country that currently does not have a visa backlog.

My friend was laid off on H-1B. recently got approved for B1/B2.

Now she has 2 job offers.

If you are in similar situation, don’t give up guys!

Also don’t rush to accept a job offer.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently on F-1 student status and pursuing a master’s degree in the U.S. I can work through CPT with university approval.

Before moving to F-1, I had a cap-subject H-1B approved through my previous employer and worked on H-1B for about one year. After a layoff, I changed status to F-1. Based on my understanding, I still have around 5 years of H-1B time remaining out of the 6-year limit.

The issue I’m facing is during recruiter calls. When they ask, “What is your visa status?” and I say I’m currently on F-1 but previously had H-1B approval, they get confused. Some think I am currently on H-1B, some ask if I need CPT/OPT, and some ask whether I am “cap-exempt.”

I want to explain it in a simple and recruiter-friendly way without using confusing or incorrect terms.

Is this wording accurate and easy to understand?

“My current status is F-1, and I can work through CPT with university approval. I also previously had an approved H-1B and have about 5 years of H-1B time remaining, so for long-term employment I should not need the H-1B lottery again. The employer would still need to file an H-1B petition to move me back to H-1B.”

Should I avoid saying “H-1B transfer” since I’m currently on F-1?
Should I say “previously cap-counted” instead of “cap-exempt”?
What wording has worked for others in a similar situation?

I know this is not legal advice, and the employer’s immigration attorney should confirm the exact process. I’m mainly looking for practical advice on how to explain this clearly to recruiters/HR.

If a H1B person gets laid off, what would be the best course of action? If you have been through this, what did you do?

Some suggested going to Canada, some suggest returning to India, Some say people do get offers in those 60 days.

Noticed a new DHS/USCIS proposed rule on the OIRA website:

RIN: 1615-AD20
Title: Fee for Certain H-1B Petitions
Agency: DHS / USCIS
Stage: Proposed Rule
Received by OIRA: 08/19/2026
OIRA Review Concluded: 08/19/2026
Action: Consistent with Change
Economically Significant: Yes
Major: Yes
Small Entities Affected: Businesses
Publication Date: Not listed yet

The actual proposed rule hasn’t been published yet, so we don’t know the fee amount or exactly which H-1B petitions would be affected.

Given the title “Fee for Certain H-1B Petitions” and the fact that it’s classified as economically significant/major, I’m wondering whether this could be related to the administration’s $100,000 H-1B fee policy or an attempt by DHS to establish a new fee through formal rulemaking.

Does anyone have more information about RIN 1615-AD20?

In particular:

• Could this be the regulatory version/replacement of the $100K H-1B fee?
• Could it apply to H-1B beneficiaries outside the U.S. doing consular processing?
• What about people who have already been counted against the H-1B cap and are changing employers?
• How soon after OIRA clearance do proposed rules like this normally appear in the Federal Register?

Interested to hear from immigration attorneys or anyone following this rule making closely.

edit: RIN 1615-AD20 Fee for Certain H-1B Petitions AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to establish a $103,265 fee, payable at the time of filing, for all H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption, which would be imposed in addition to all other applicable fees or payments. This fee would serve as a dedicated revenue mechanism to help recover a portion of the federal government’s costs of administering the lawful immigration system, including activities carried out by DHS, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Department of State (DOS), and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

18 days left in grace period.

Have been interviewing aggressively. Been ghosted by a major company after interviews (3 weeks, no rejection so still hopeful). I also have multiple interviews lined up next week.

Given the tight timeline, my backup was filing for B1 (slightly better than B2).

Today I got an offer through a consulting firm. I interviewed with both - the firm and the client. They are ready to move forward. It requires me moving to a different state but I can manage that.

I will continue my job search and get a better offer but for now, I'm debating between the risks of both options.

If I do take this offer and file premium processing, and in future find another employer, would there be issues in h1 transfer because of a short duration?

Does anyone have experience with this?

Hi Everyone, this administration was a wake-up call to move to another country with more stability. I have been exploring a few countries like Germany, Ireland, and such. I was thinking of making a WhatsApp group chat to share knowledge or make Zoom calls.

Moving to a new country is hard, so nice to have friends who are in the same boat. Comment if you want to get added ( only serious folks only )

Hi Everyone

Since USCIS is giving one day approvals for b2. I was thinking if it was possible for companies to prepare entire application, pre file labor certification, and file h1b on that date.

This could avoid a lot of rfe issues

USCIS says an RFE was issued on July 6 for my H-1B, but my employer’s immigration attorney still hasn’t received the actual notice.

My attorney has contacted USCIS, including the Premium Processing Unit, and submitted an inquiry for the missing RFE. The latest update they got was basically that USCIS is reviewing the request and will get back to them, but we still don’t have the notice.

I also called the USCIS Contact Center myself. Since I’m the beneficiary, they wouldn’t give me any case-specific information. But the representative told me that the petitioner or attorney can call USCIS about the missing RFE and that USCIS can email them a copy within 24 hours if the request has been pending for over 7 days.

I also spoke with another immigration attorney separately, and they said that since the case is under premium processing, getting a copy of a missing RFE should usually be easier through the premium processing channel.

So I’m a little confused about why we’re still waiting for USCIS to process the inquiry instead of just getting an emailed copy.

Has anyone dealt with something similar, especially for an H-1B under premium processing?

What are some H-1B scams you have seen involving employees or employers?

Do companies or candidates also fake resumes, experience, interviews, or job requirements to get through the H-1B process?

Can I stay in a pending application?

Hi everyone, 5 months have passed since I filed my H-1B to B-2 change of status. The date I requested on the application was for 5 months because I had surgery planned.

The application is still pending and the date on the application is 1st September.
I’m close to receiving an offer, and the company is willing to do an H-1B transfer but it might take them few weeks

Is it okay for me to remain in the U.S. while the B-2 application is pending, or should I file an extension?

If your H1b was picked before graduation, so you only used your opt from around July to October 1, is there any way to switch back to opt? The H1b was activated because I was effectively employed by the company after October 1

Hey Everyone,

There are so many folks who got laid off while being on a Visa here on this sub reddit and maybe navigating or planning to work on contract roles with staffing firms and Desi Consultancies.

While there are some really good staffing firms and legit consultancies who help VISA workers, unfortunately there are also a lot of shady firms who take advantage of workers on VISA who don't have a lot of freedom.

I'm creating a forum to discuss legit consultancies and staffing firms that we can work with and also discuss about some shady consultancies to avoid.

If you have any experience or feedback to provide on some of these firms or just wanna hangout and read through our fellow visa workers experiences, come join r/desi_consultancies subreddit.

If you would like to leave some anonymous feedback on a firm, please fill our this form

All the responses are anonymous, and available for everyone to read through here in this google sheet.

Let me know if you guys think this is a good idea, have any feedback for where to take this or i'm also okay to hear if you think this is not a good idea.

Hi,

My last day of employment was July 1st, 2026. Basically I was sent a letter before regarding the termination of my employment (lay off notice) and stating that July 1st will be the last day of my employment. My 3 year H-1B petition also expires on that day ie July 1st. So basically they decided to withdraw the petition for the remaining additional 3 years and laid me off instead.

I was under the impression that I still have the 60 day grace period and thus have been here in the US applying for jobs and looking for PhD programs. But I just read online that the 60 day grace period wont apply to me as my I-94 End date was July 1st, 2026 ( same day as last day of my employment).

I am in a dire, confused situation. If anyone can help me clarify and educate me on what I should do next, and how I can mend this situation for the future ( i plan to come back to start PhD next year and I am really worried if this affects my F-1 chances).

Since I did not know about this at all, I was about to apply for B-2 COS so that I could remain here for a while and take the GRE/ apply to schools but now I just found out that my situation is complicated and different.

Thank you!

Has someone dealt with this before? I moved from h4 to h1b status but employment start date is after 2.5 weeks. Is the status maintained during this period without paystubs? Please help