In a cautionary tale resonating across Indian tech circles in the U.S., a Reddit post has gone viral after revealing how an Indian H-1B visa holder ran into immigration trouble by misinterpreting the 60-day grace period rule.
According to the post, the individual was laid off earlier this year and wrongly assumed that the 60 days granted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) were a “soft deadline.” Believing he had flexibility, he overstayed while job-hunting.
Once the deadline expired, his visa status became invalid, triggering serious consequences, including a Notice to Appear (NTA) for deportation proceedings.
“He assumed the 60 days were kind of a ‘soft deadline,’” the Redditor wrote. “He thought it wouldn’t matter as long as he found another role soon. Turns out that’s not how it works.”
USCIS regulations state that H-1B holders must either transfer their visa, switch status, or leave the country within the 60-day period after termination. Any delay counts as overstaying, which creates a violation record. In this case, when the worker finally tried to exit the U.S., the overstay was logged against him, leaving a permanent red flag on his visa history.
The incident sparked sharp reactions online. “It’s literally the first rule of H-1B. 60 days is a hard limit,” one commenter wrote.
Another said, “Even one day past it is overstaying. Only a fool would take U.S. immigration lightly when you’re on a visa.”
The viral post serves as a stark reminder for foreign workers navigating layoffs in America’s turbulent job market: in immigration law, deadlines are final, not flexible.
