The administration proposed a rule to eliminate the 60-day grace period for non-immigrant visa holders who lose their jobs.

The new rule would require non-immigrants to leave the United States immediately upon job termination if they do not secure a new sponsor. Department of Homeland Security officials stated that removing the grace period would reduce administrative burdens and restore a direct relationship between a worker's status and the employment that formed the basis of their admission. The agency noted that the grace period was established in 2016 and was not present before 2017. The administration expects the move to favor U.S. workers by reducing the pool of foreign-born labor available to employers. Data from the Department of Homeland Security shows that between 2021 and 2025, an average of 65,752 workers covered by the grace period experienced a job loss or changed employers annually. During this period, just under 6% of those workers had a new employer file for them within the 60-day window, and 1.7% filed to extend or change their status.