H1B Losing Job -- Important Info !

[Tino]

I am seeing a lot more H1B holders losing their job now with the bad economy. Sometimes they are let go, sometimes the company closes.

I want to remind H1B holders, you cannot be out of a job! If you are, you are out-of-status. The problem is like this, you lose the job, then 2 months later get a new job. But to apply for the new H1B for the new job you must be in-status, since you are unemployed your are out-of-status and your application will not be accepted.

What to do? If u lose your job or think you might lose your job, you need to either get a new H1B sponsor immediately and start the job immediately, or you need to change to another visa status temporarily until you can find a new sponsor. A good idea is to change to F-1, student, status. But you must do this immediately, because to change status you must be in-status! So as soon as you lose your job you should apply for F-1!

For more info or help on your case you can post me a question here.

Thanks,

Tino