Telugu NRIs sacked in US seek HIB grace extension

Hyderabad: With the largescale layoffs across the United States of America hitting the immigrant class of professionals the hardest — including those from the Telugu states — there is a growing online movement, seeking extension of the grace period for H1B visa holders.

At present, the rulebook allows this section of visa holders a grace period of 60 days. But with firms asking its staff to leave almost immediately after being sacked, many are now urging authorities to extend this by up to six months or more.

“We need H1B grace period to be extended from the existing 60 days since there is long delay in job processing. If it’s not enhanced, it will cause so many problems to me and my family,” wrote Santosh C, responding to an online petition filed on this issue. The petition, within hours of being floated, gathered over 2,500 signatures.