Trump administration proposes ending H-1B grace period after job loss

The Trump administration has proposed ending the 60-day grace period for certain immigrants, including H-1B workers, after job loss in Washington, according to a government notice posted online Thursday. Under the plan, affected visa holders would have to leave the United States as soon as employment ends. The proposal is part of a broader push to limit legal migration and still faces a two-month public comment period before it can become law.

The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The 60-day grace period has been in place since 2017.

The rule would also affect E-1, E-2, L-1, O-1, TN, H-1B1, and E-3 visa holders.

Published Sep 11, 2026 12:32 am KST

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security seal is displayed ahead of an expected press conference at the FEMA National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24. Reuters-Yonhap

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has proposed eliminating a 60-day grace period that allows certain immigrants, including skilled workers on H-1B visas, to stay in the United States and find a new sponsor after losing their job, according to a government notice posted online Thursday.

Under the planned rule change, published in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, those with H-1B and certain other temporary work visas would have to leave the country as soon as their employment ends — a potential blow to top American tech companies that rely heavily on foreign workers.

It is the latest step by U.S. President Donald Trump to limit legal migration since returning to office in January 2025. His administration has also introduced higher visa fees for skilled workers and recently paused immigrant visa appointments at U.S. missions around the world while it implements a new training program.

Companies impacted by the change could see some disruption, DHS wrote in its proposal, but it said the jobs could go to American workers instead. In some situations, immigrant workers who leave could potentially reapply if their employer petitions for them, it added.

"DHS presumes that they will either offer the same jobs to equally qualified U.S. workers or go through the I-129 petition process depending on their workforce requirement," the notice said.

The 60-day grace period, in place since 2017, allows foreign workers time to find another U.S. job or get their affairs in order — whether selling a home or pulling children out of school — before leaving the country.

H-1B visas, established by Congress in 1990, are especially critical for tech companies seeking talent from India and China, allowing them to fill roles where there is sometimes a lack of qualified U.S. workers.

Consultancy companies such as Deloitte, PwC and Ernst & Young as well as outsourcing giants like Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCL Tech and LTIMindtree are top H-1B sponsors.

Lawyers for Berardi Immigration Law, which specializes in business-related immigration issues, said the move would "sharply compress the timeline HR teams have to manage layoffs and offboarding for foreign national employees."

If implemented, the change would also apply to E-1 international trader visa holders; E-2 commercial vehicle operator visa holders; L-1 short-term work for executives or managers with international companies; O-1 visas for people "with an extraordinary ability" in science, sports or the arts; and TN professional workers.

It also would impact H-1B1 skilled worker visa holders from Singapore and Chile and E-3 specialty worker visa holders from Australia.

The rule is subject to a two-month public comment period before it can be enacted into law.

据周四发布的一份政府公告显示，特朗普政府提议取消部分移民（包括H-1B签证持有者）在华盛顿失业后享有的60天宽限期。根据该计划，受影响的签证持有者必须在失业后立即离开美国。这项提议是限制合法移民的更广泛举措的一部分，在正式成为法律之前，仍需经过两个月的公众评议期。

该拟议规则由美国国土安全部在《联邦公报》上公布。

60 天的宽限期自 2017 年起实施。

该规定还将影响 E-1、E-2、L-1、O-1、TN、H-1B1 和 E-3 签证持有者。

发布于2026年9月11日凌晨12:32（韩国标准时间）

1月24日，在华盛顿特区联邦紧急事务管理署（FEMA）国家响应协调中心，美国国土安全部徽章在预计举行的新闻发布会前展示。（路透社-韩联社）

华盛顿——据周四在网上发布的一份政府通知显示，特朗普政府提议取消60天的宽限期，该宽限期允许某些移民（包括持H-1B签证的技术工人）在失业后留在美国并找到新的担保人。

根据美国国土安全部在《联邦公报》上公布的计划规则变更，持有 H-1B 签证和其他一些临时工作签证的人将在工作结束后立即离开美国——这对严重依赖外国工人的美国顶级科技公司来说可能是一个打击。

这是美国总统唐纳德·特朗普自2025年1月重返总统职位以来限制合法移民的最新举措。他的政府还提高了技术工人的签证费用，并在实施一项新的培训计划期间暂停了美国在全球各地使领馆的移民签证预约。

国土安全部在其提案中指出，受此变化影响的公司可能会面临一些运营中断，但这些工作岗位可以转而提供给美国工人。提案还补充说，在某些情况下，如果雇主为其提出申请，离开的移民工人有可能重新申请工作。

通知称：“国土安全部认为，他们要么会向同等资格的美国工人提供相同的工作机会，要么会根据其劳动力需求走 I-129 申请程序。”

自 2017 年起实施的 60 天宽限期，允许外国工人有时间在美国找到另一份工作或处理好自己的事务——无论是卖掉房子还是让孩子退学——然后再离开美国。

H-1B 签证由国会于 1990 年设立，对于寻求从印度和中国引进人才的科技公司来说尤为重要，它使这些公司能够填补美国合格工人有时短缺的职位空缺。

德勤、普华永道和安永等咨询公司以及塔塔咨询服务公司、印孚瑟斯、HCL科技和LTIMindtree等外包巨头都是H-1B签证的主要赞助商。

专门处理商业相关移民问题的 Berardi 移民律师事务所的律师表示，此举将“大幅缩短人力资源团队管理外籍员工裁员和离职的时间”。

如果实施，该变更还将适用于 E-1 国际贸易签证持有者；E-2 商用车辆驾驶员签证持有者；L-1 国际公司高管或经理短期工作签证持有者；O-1 科学、体育或艺术领域“具有杰出才能”人士签证持有者；以及 TN 专业人员签证持有者。

这也会影响来自新加坡和智利的 H-1B1 技术工人签证持有者以及来自澳大利亚的 E-3 专业工人签证持有者。

该规则在正式成为法律之前，需经过两个月的公众评议期。