The deadline for US H-1B visas may soon be extended from 60 days to 180 days. Members of the U.S. President’s Advisory Commission on Native Hawaiian Communities, and the U.S. President’s Pacific Islanders on Tuesday discussed and approved an extension of a deadline to ease migrant workers into the country.
The committee’s recommendations will now be forwarded to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The case for extending the deadline was raised by CTO Ajay Bhutoria. He told Business Today that USCIS is likely to accept the recommendation of the President’s Advisory Committee.
The tech executive noted that the current 60-day grace period for finding a new job is insufficient, among other bureaucratic hurdles.
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“The current 60-day grace period presents several obstacles, including finding a new job within a limited time frame, complicated paperwork to transfer H1-B status, and processing delays at USCIS,” he explained. As a result, many H1-B workers are forced to leave the country, which can lead to a loss of skilled labor for the United States.
He added that the extension would help these highly skilled workers stay in the United States because there would be more time for them to find work. He also explained that these highly skilled workers are valuable to the economy.
“This extension also gives affected workers more time to go through the complicated and time-consuming process of finding new employment opportunities and transferring their H1-B status,” he said.
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Butoria’s second recommendation was to grant employment authorization documents (EAD) and travel documents to individuals with approved I-140 petitions.
An approved I-140 petition is a step forward in obtaining permanent resident status in the United States.
“The recommendation that EADs be granted to these individuals will provide them with more employment opportunities, improve job security, the ability to start a business, the flexibility to stay at home, invest and build a life in the United States, travel freely. It gives them peace of mind, better health, and the ability to connect with family members without having to worry about getting a visa stamp or getting an appointment, Butoria added.
