Employment-based visas provide educated and hardworking professionals with opportunities. They can accept jobs in the United States. In many cases, professionals with employment visas can bring their families with them.
They may legally stay in the United States long enough to qualify for a green card. A professional with a work visa may have major plans for the future. Those plans could fall apart rapidly if they lose their job.
Can workers who lose their jobs face immediate removal from the United States if they have an employment-based visa?
Immigrants can secure new employment
Even the most ambitious and respected professionals can lose their jobs with little notice. Company restructuring may result in an organization terminating numerous employees at once. Mergers or acquisitions can also lead to staff reductions.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recognizes that immigrants with employment visas could lose their jobs through no fault of their own. As such, most employment visas make workers eligible for a 60-day grace period after a sudden termination.
Workers with an H-1B, E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B1, L-1, O-1, or TN visa have up to 60 days after losing their job to secure new employment. They can communicate with the USCIS and apply for a fresh visa related to their new employment arrangements. Promptly beginning a job search can potentially help an immigrant with a work visa remain in the United States despite losing their job.
Immigrants at risk of losing their employment visas may also want to explore their other options. The sooner people act, the better their chances typically are of remaining in the country when their employment visas are at risk.