After years of dedication, long hours, and weekends sacrificed for his employer, an H1B worker found himself abruptly laid off, setting off a race against time to secure a new job before his visa status runs out. Sharing his story through a burner account for privacy, the worker described the emotional toll of suddenly being thrust into limbo.
“I got the news two days ago that I was being laid off, just like that. After everything I’ve done for this company… it’s over. And I’m on an H1B. I have, what, 60 days to find a new sponsor? The clock is ticking and I can feel it in every breath, he wrote. The worker has already applied to dozens of companies, but the response has been discouraging. He continued, “Most places don’t want the ‘extra hassle’ of visa paperwork. I’ve got the skills. I’ve got the experience. But the visa makes me a liability in their eyes.”
Between constant job applications, resume rewrites, and messaging recruiters, sleep has become elusive. The post continued, “Every ‘We regret to inform you…’ email chips away at my hope.” While some friends urge him to stay and keep trying, the emotional exhaustion is mounting. His lease ends next month, and savings are running low. “I came here with dreams, and now I’m wondering if I’m supposed to just let them go. Maybe it’s time. Maybe the best thing is to go back to India. At least I’d be with family. At least I wouldn’t wake up every morning with this pit in my stomach. It feels like giving up, but staying feels like drowning.”
‘That’s just the nature of a temporary work visa’
A user said, “That’s just the nature of a temporary work visa. Highly unstable.” Another added, “I have, what, 60 days to find a new sponsor? I mean that’s only if you want to avoid leaving the country at all costs by doing the change of status transfer (which is a totally valid scenario to plan for if you have a mortgage/family here etc). If you can afford to leave the country after 60 days, as long as you H1B petition is valid, you can find a different employer => get a I797B approval via consular processing => appear for an interview and come back. I ended things with my old employer ~Feb 2025. I found a different job eventually but took time off in Mexico until May 2025 first, came back to India and just got done with the transfer process here. Going back to the US in a week. TL;DR – don’t sweat too much about the 60 day clock, especially given u can reclaim days spent out of the country towards the 6 years limit.”
“Prepare for the worst, i am a java developer with 13 years of experience, have been looking to switch for almost a year now, not that I suck at interviews but market is just dead specifically for visa people,” added a netizen. “It’s getting harder and harder to find a new job who will do transfer. Americans are growing inpatient with not having jobs and seeing us employed. Politicians don’t dare to help because next election. We really need to face reality,” noted a user.