“It’s Just A Mess”: Over 200,000 H-1B Workers Risk Losing Legal Status In The US By June

More than 200,000 people who are in the United States on an H-1B visa, which is a temporary work visa for people with specialized skills, could soon seen their status in the U.S. turn to “illegal”. 

One perfect example is Manasi Vasavada, who has worked at a NJ dental practice for almost two years. She has been on unpaid leave of absence since it closed in March. Her husband Nandan Buch is a dentist and the couple may not be able to stay in the U.S. – but can’t go back to their native India, which has also closed its borders.

Meanwhile, the couple has racked up $520,000 in student loans for advanced dental degrees in the U.S. 

“Everything is really confusing and dark right now. We don’t know where we will end up,” Vasavada told Bloomberg. 

And they are just a microcosm of the 200,000 guest workers in the U.S. that could be facing similar problems. Their legal status could be in jeopardy by the end of June and thousands more who are not seeking resident status could be forced home. About 75% of these visas go to the technology industry.

Already over 20 million Americans have lose their jobs of the last two months. But visa workers are tied to specific locations and being furloughed violates the requirements of their visas. If terminated, they have 60 days to find another job, transfer to another visa or leave the country. Even without losing their jobs, its sometimes difficult to get a visa renewal done in 60 days.

Doug Rand, who co-founded Boundless Immigration Inc., a company that helps people navigate the immigration system, called the impact of the virus a “catastrophe at a human level and an economic level.”

“It’s just a mess,” he continued.

A lobbying group that represents Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft sent a letter to the State and Homeland Security departments on April 17 urging for relief for foreign born workers. The letter specifically requested a delay in work authorization expiration dates until September 10. 

The letter said: “Without action, these issues will lead to hundreds of thousands of unfilled jobs and have profound negative economic effects.”

Some companies are even choosing to furlough U.S. born workers and fire foreign employees whose visas require that they are paid. Other companies are keeping H-1B workers on staff to maintain their legal status while firing U.S. workers. 

The Trump administration, which has consistently taken a hard-line approach to immigration, has not responded to the letter yet. Non-immigrant visas have declined from 10.9 million in 2015 to 8.7 million in 2019, falling for four straight years. Last month, the administration shut down embassies and consulates with little to know guidance for people who risk losing their visas.

Meanwhile, in-person services at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, are suspended until at least June 4.