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Laid-off H-1B grad counts the days on borrowed time. Here's more to his ordeals
A 2024 graduate's career in the U.S. took a turn for the worse after being laid off 30 days into his first job on an H1B visa.
One recent graduate, after securing his first job on an H-1B visa, was laid off just a few weeks into the role. Now, nearly nine months later, he’s still unemployed and clinging to hope on a temporary visa.
The 2024 data science graduate told M9News that he’s applied to over 300 positions since the layoff, but not a single job offer has come through.
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Laid-off graduate now battles immigration clock
“Every day feels like a countdown,” he said. “I’m doing everything I can, but I’m running low on time, money, and hope.”
Notably, after completing his Master’s degree from a U.S. university and gaining internship experience, he landed a dream job. But only 30 days in, he was let go. “I never thought my first job would only last 30 days. I feel stuck in limbo. There’s no closure,” he admitted.
“I’m just surviving on borrowed time,” he sighed.
Following the layoff, he used the standard 60-day grace period to try to find another job. When that window expired, and he had no offer of another one, he switched to the B2 visa, a temporary tourist visa, in an extreme measure to remain in the country legally and keep his job search. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has yet to review his application.
“Layoffs don’t just end jobs—they uproot lives,” an immigration attorney told M9 News. “And the current system provides no safety net.”
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US Visa ordeal stories like his aren’t rare anymore
Over the past year, waves of H1B layoffs have pushed thousands into a similar race against time. Many have already packed up and left.
Like, one shared on Reddit, “I was laid off in October 2024 (when my STEM OPT expired) and been jobless since.”
“I’m currently on an F1 visa doing my second Master’s mainly to maintain my status (day 1 CPT). I’m 31 years old with quite a bit of my student loan left plus credit card debt that I am using to survive and continue studying after being laid off.”
