The US may scrap the 60-day window that lets foreign workers on certain visas stay and job-hunt after losing employment.. (File Photo)

The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed scrapping the 60-day grace period that lets H-1B workers stay in the country after their job ends while they look for a new sponsor. Experts say the move could cause potential harm to thousands of skilled workers, most of them from India, according to PTI.

What is the 60-day grace period, and who does it affect?

The grace period currently gives Joe Biden and, at that time, proposed extending the grace period from 60 days to 180 days. He had argued that hiring processes, including technical interviews and visa transfer paperwork, often take several months, meaning 60 days is not enough time.

He has now repeated that call, asking the Department of Homeland Security to withdraw the current proposal and instead adopt a 180-day grace period.

Bhutoria said hundreds of thousands of South Asian workers in technology, healthcare and engineering hold H-1B status in the US. He said ending the grace period would lead to serious stress for families, financial trouble, and disruption to the schooling of children raised in the country.

With inputs from PTI.