r/h1b_layoffs

Hi everyone,

I recently got laid off while on H-1B. I have around 10 years of strong Software Engineering experience.

For context, I previously did an H-1B to B-2 to H-1B transition about a year ago, so I am trying to understand my options carefully this time.

I would really appreciate advice or personal experiences from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

My main questions are the following:

1. H-1B → B-2 → H-1B again Is it realistic to do the same route again if I need more time to find a new employer?
2. H-1B → F-1 → H-1B Am I eligible to switch from H-1B to F-1? Also, is it still realistic to get admission for Fall 2026 at this point?
3. PhD route Is pursuing a PhD a practical option in this situation? I do not know much about this route, so I would really appreciate hearing from people who have actually done this or considered it seriously.

I understand this is not legal advice and I will consult an immigration attorney, but I would like to hear real experiences, timelines, risks, and practical suggestions from people who have gone through this.

Thank you.

Entered the US on H-1B status (change of employer approval) in the last year. Just compared my CBP I-94 record against my I-797A approval notice and noticed the “admit until” date on the I-94 is earlier than the validity end date on the I-797A — by about 9 months.

Best guess is CBP might have used an old/prior I-797 on file instead of the current one at the port of entry.

Questions for anyone who’s dealt with this:

**1.**	Is this a common CBP error, or unusual?  
**2.**	Did you get it corrected through Deferred Inspection (email vs. in-person)? How long did it take?  
**3.**	Did the mismatch cause any issues before you got it fixed — with an extension, change of status, or anything else pending in the meantime?

I have an immigration attorney handling it, just trying to get a sense of how common/fixable this typically is. Appreciate any experiences.

Big US bank recruited me in June 2026. Had 3 interviews, met recruiter, hiring manager, and team member. This all happened in the course of 3 days so interest was mostly showed by them. It went great and we even talked relocation to their NY offices. They did mentioned political factors exist for the visa that they can't control.

1 month later they come back and tell me they cannot move forward with me, but they’ll keep me posted if such thing changes.

I need help understanding what happened because the timing makes 0 sense.

Background:

1. I was NOT applying. Recruiter DM'd me on LinkedIn.
2. They KNEW I was abroad with no precedents of US working visa from day 1. It's on my resume and we talked about it in both interviews.
3. After rejection, the role was reposted on LinkedIn half hour later. So i could think there weren’t other candidates.

My questions:

1. Why would a big bank that sponsors H1Bs every year spend 1 month on a foreign candidate in JUNE if lottery is dead? Did policy change mid-process?
2. "Political factor we can't control" - is this the rumored $100k H1B fee proposal? Or something else in June 2026?
3. Has anyone else been dropped mid-process in 2026 or before like this? Is there any silver lining?

I'm not mad at them. They were great. This feels like something else pulled the plug…

If you got a similar "political factor" rejection this year, please share. Trying to figure out if this is industry-wide now.

Thanks.

https://preview.redd.it/xe8074izu1bh1.jpg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=651e9a7d70888e1e7cbfea8f48d9dfe2c95a0d0f

I'm MaryJoy Chuba, an immigration attorney at Manifest Law. I focus on high-skilled visas and green cards: O-1, EB-1A, and EB-2 NIW.

A layoff on an H-1B is stressful precisely because of the timing, and RFEs on transfers are running higher than they have in years, which makes the clock feel even tighter. I'll give straight answers on how the grace period actually works, and on the routes that don't depend on landing another sponsor.

I'll be answering questions Friday, July 3, 2026, from 1 to 5 p.m. EDT.

(Please note: Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.)

Is USCIS doing concurrent adjudication of both B2 and H1B? When premium processing of H1B Petition for change of status?

L-1B holder but I think the law applies the same way for H-1B in this case. I am seeing a lot of conflicting information regarding when the grace period starts. I was laid off on May 20 and I am on non-working garden leave and on payroll until Aug 20. Does the 60 day grace period start on May 21st or Aug 21st?

Here are some quotes I got from links (I can't share the links due to this sub's policy) saying that it starts on May 21st:

>If your last day of work is March 15, the 60-day grace period runs through May 14. Severance, PTO payout, or continued health insurance does not extend it. Even if your employer keeps paying you for two months after your last day, USCIS treats your status as ending on the last day of work.

>For example, if your employer notifies you on December 4 that you will be terminated in 2 weeks on December 18, your 60-day grace period will start December 18. Keep in mind that if you receive a severance, the time period you are receiving this does not count towards tolling your 60-day grace period.

>If you're terminated on March 1st and your severance agreement provides compensation through April 30th, your grace period still expires on April 30th. Not on June 30th.

>The H-1B grace period starts on your last day of work, even if you receive severance pay or garden leave.

Some links saying that it starts on Aug 21st:

>Does the 60-day grace period legally start on the Feb 2nd notice date or the May 1st last day on payroll? Generally, last day on payroll unless USCIS notified Feb 2

>60 day period starts from July 23 which is the next day after your last official working day (last day you received salary)

USCIS own FAQ page:

>Q: When does the 60-day grace period start? 

>A: The maximum 60-day grace period starts the day after termination of employment, which is typically determined based on the last day for which a salary or wage is paid.

Has anyone gotten an authoritative answer based on similar cases recently? Are the links saying that the grace period starts after the notice giving false information based on old guidance?

I am a quant trader, One of my ex employers randomly decided he doesn’t want to pay me and my team anymore, took our work and fired me and people under me. No real reason, just saying that the investors want a different alpha. The employer did it while I was not in USA and life was a turmoil since. This happened in November 25, I tried finding something which I did, slightly sketchy but gets the job done, they applied for my H1B takeover, but before we could properly go live, the war broke out and I lost the job, meanwhile my H1B transfer got an RFE too. I lost my status and went to B2, which is still pending. Can’t handle this anymore, no new employer wants to touch H1B so gonna leave out soon.

Just sharing and ranting.

Laid off on H-1B, filed I-539 COS to F-1 (still pending), now have a new employer ready to file H-1B as a change of status with premium processing -- does USCIS adjudicate pending I-539 and the H-1B together and approve the H-1B without leaving the US? Any RFEs?

This question is for my wife’s situation.
She got a job offer recently
Her new employer is new to h1b transfer process.

Unfortunately
They filed for the LCA today and submitted i129 application to USCIS without having LCA approved.

What are her options here?
Kindly advise
Thanks.

Unfortunately I got impacted today and I have my three years of H1B and I don’t know what to do. I just it was such a shock and I’m still wrapping my head. I don’t think finding a job will be fruitful within grace period. What do you suggest if I already have a masters so and my three years of H1B still pending? I have a few questions:

If you changed from H-1B to F-1 after a layoff, which school did you choose?

Which affordable universities accepted you quickly?

Did you file the I-539 yourself or use an immigration attorney?

Which immigration lawyers do you recommend for H-1B → F-1 cases?

Did anyone use a "bridge" strategy because their school start date was after the H-1B grace period?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's been through this recently.
I understand my 60-day H-1B grace period has likely already started.

I'm trying to remain in the U.S. legally by changing to F-1 status.

3 years on H-1B working in finance/data analytics

PERM has been filed (priority date established)

I already have about $30k in student loans, so affordability is my biggest concern.

I'm looking for a master's that:

Costs around $15k–20k per year (or less if possible)

Is still accepting international students for Fall 2026

Is related to finance, financial risk management, business analytics, operations research, economics, or quantitative business (not necessarily computer science)

Ideally has a PhD pathway later.

I’m looking for real experiences from people who transferred H-1B after being on notice pay / garden leave.

Timeline: Layoff notice was given on May 20. Termination date is July 31. From May 20 to July 31, I am on notice pay, and my paychecks show hours annotated under “notice pay.” My termination agreement says I need to remain available for any work questions or transition support during this period. I will receive lump-sum severance and bonus on July 31. Employer said they will withdraw the H-1B after July 31.

I’m getting mixed feedback from different lawyers about when the 60-day H-1B grace period starts.

For people who were in a similar notice pay / garden leave situation and later transferred H-1B, did your 60-day grace period start from the last productive work date, or official termination/payroll end date?

I understand this is not legal advice. I’m mainly looking for real-world experiences from people who successfully transferred after garden leave / notice pay.

Hi want to move to H4 from h1b and near the end of my grace period. I don’t see the option to choose h1b as current status while filing online. Can we file online or need to submit physically. TIA

I got laid off early February and filed for b2 end of March. Recently got two offers, first rescinded because they aren’t willing to transfer while I have b pending. Another one is only willing to do so if I have b approved. They said I could contact them once my b is approved. Given the current timelines for b, it probably won’t get processed until four months later, let alone the risk of rfes and NOIDs.

Anyone was in the situation? successfully got b approved and the transfer h1b? I’m scared of the uncertainties and I feel like I can’t breathe every day… my mental state cannot hold on anymore

Are H-1B petitions getting approved through consular processing if you already have a valid H-1B visa stamp, without paying the $100,000 fee? Also, has anyone re-entered the U.S. after a B-2 extension/change of status denial using their valid H-1B visa stamp? Looking for first-hand experiences.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to take some time off to bond with my newborn and am considering switching from H1B to H4.
Has anyone recently transitioned from H1B to H4? If you later found a new job while your H4 was still pending, were you able to successfully transfer back to H1B without issues? Did you have to withdraw the pending H4 application, or was there anything else you had to do?
Thanks in advance!

I have a tricky question.

My spouse is on F1 and her F1 is expiring this week. I am also on F1 but I have an approved H1B (I-797A approval notice).

Should I apply for a H4 COS before her STEM opt expire this week or can I apply any time within the next 60 days.

Also my H1B is approved but it activates October 1st so does that mean I am still on F1 and should apply for her F2 COS and not H4 COS.

Your answer is appreciated Thanks 🙏🏻

Not positive info, sorry.

I am laid off soon due to research funding being cut. My job serach has been horrible, and I asked my current HR director about the vibes around the city in non-profit/research/higher-ed offices. I have reworked it to avoid identifiable information.

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employers, especially universities and non-profit institutions with limited budgets, are increasingly risk averse in this area. In truth the standards for what constitutes a position eligible for sponsorship have been steadily increasing over time (for example, even in 2024, [our University, top tier school in a big city] could no longer sponsor positions that would have been eligible just a few years before that).  But currently, employer applications for sponsorship for even the most critical expert positions are met regularly with additional requests for evidence and associated delays.  This has been our experience at [University].  The additional administrative burden combined with the unpredictability of fees for the employer associated with the process has led many organizations to think carefully about sponsorship.  To be clear, we are still sponsoring certain positions, but only those that are highly specialized and mission critical.  None of the positions that you have contacted me about would approach the threshold for specialization.  I cannot speak directly to what other similar employers are doing, but I have anecdotal information that a number of organizations have stopped sponsoring for the moment, especially given the abundance of applicants who don't need sponsorship due to government layoffs.

Sadly, I do not expect this to change anytime soon.
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Not good news, but it's good to hear some explanations, and I hope it can help people tailor their searches a little. Good luck, everyone.

Anyone who recently (June 2026) got an H1B transfer or renewal via consular processing to come back from another country to the US? Did the 100k fee apply and were there any RFEs ?

Lost Job in Jan ,though I got job within Grace period but had to file B2 due to delay at employer end.

Got NOID for B2 first, asking for temporary nature of stay, family ties and why H1B was filed.

With help of a Law Office/Attorney, submitted NOID response with evidences for tourism, family ties. Also mentioned that offer was released post B2 submission though got job in grace period (evidences provided) .

Today received denial notice with the following and said case closed

>acknowledges receipt evidence of residence abroad and that established your intent to depart; however, the filing of Form I-129 suggests that your stay may not be temporary in nature. Furthermore, the B-2 classification is intended for temporary visits for pleasure and the filling of Form I-129 indicates the length of time you seek to remain in the United States approaches that of a long term stay rather than a brief visit.

At the end they said I can you submit a motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider by completing a Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion.

Anyone submitted Notice of Appeal or Motion ?

What will happen to H1B transfer RFE asking for B2 decision ?