An American man has slammed the H-1B visa policy that forces visa holders to find employment within 60 days of termination if they want to remain in the United States. Nathan Platter cited the example of his friend who was forced to leave the US as she could not land a new job within the stipulated two months.
Return to India from US
Platter, a Minneapolis-based data scientist, said that his friend was forced to return to India after spending eight years in the US. The woman, whom he did not name in his post, had completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the US and worked in the country for two years.
Recently, after losing her job, she began searching for employment. The woman was in the US on an H-1B visa that allows foreign workers to live and work legally in the country.
However, if an H-1B worker loses their job, they have up to 60 days or until their visa expires to find a new job or leave the US. In the Indian woman’s case, she could not find a job that would sponsor her H-1B visa and was forced to return to India.
Friend slams H-1B policy
Nathan Platter took to LinkedIn to slam the H-1B policy that forced the woman to relocate. He pointed out that she had built a life in the US, working and paying taxes.
“We let her study here. Work here. Pay taxes here. And now we’re kicking her out?
My friend is moving back to India after 8 years in the U.S. (4 undergrad + 2 grad school + 2 working) because she couldn’t land a new job in the arbitrary 60-day grace period for H1B visa holders,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
Platter said that his friend put in 14 hour workdays and brought value to her team. Despite this, she was forced to uproot her life in Austin, Texas and return to her home country.
“She has to uproot her life in Austin, say goodbye to her community, and take all that talent out of the U.S. economy. BACK TO INDIA!” he said. “This policy is ridiculous.”
Platter said that the US, with its 60-day grace period policy, is training and educating bright minds and handing them to global competitors.
“We need better ways to retain international talent,” he said, calling for a rehaul of the H-1B system.
(Also read: Indian worker in US calls H1B visa renewal process a nightmare: ‘Hunting slots for a month’)