Holders of H- 1B work visas in the United States can get unemployment benefits. How to extend the time?

AP/Many foreign employees who were laid off in the financial tsunami recently anxiously sought the assistance of lawyers and applied for temporary visas, hoping to extend their stay in the United States. Because many foreign employees intend to apply for a green card and hope to obtain American resident status, once they lose their job opportunities, they lose the possibility of obtaining a green card.

Nearly 500,000 foreign employees in China work legally in the United States with H- 1B work visas. Some people may get an employer's guarantee to apply for a green card. Anderson, executive director of the National Fund for American Policy, a Virginia-based policy research institution, said that many foreign employees come to the United States first to study, and then live and work in the United States after obtaining their degrees.

Many foreign employees in the financial industry were fired.

A lawyer specializing in immigration affairs said that recently, many laid-off foreign employees called to ask about their legal status in the United States, and many of the callers were engaged in the financial industry.

Even many foreign employees who still have jobs are worried that job insecurity will eventually lead to the loss of residency in the United States, and they have to go home and leave the United States.

According to the regulations of the US Immigration Bureau, companies need to report to the authorities after dismissing foreign employees or leaving their jobs. However, immigration spokesman Victor pointed out that the government did not strictly follow up to find out how many foreign professionals lost their jobs because of dismissal.

Brain drain will hit the United States in the future.

Those foreign employees who have been dismissed may have returned to their own countries or moved to other countries. Foreign professionals who emigrate to other countries may promote the development of science and technology in this country, and this brain drain will hit the American economy in the next few years. However, once foreign employees are dismissed, they can still apply for unemployment benefits as long as they meet the requirements of the national labor department.

One of the biggest problems faced by foreign employees is how long they can stay in the United States after being fired. Although the company must provide employees with air tickets to return to China, many employees will change their status to a six-month tourist visa, hoping to extend the time to find a new job or pack their bags.

No employer, no green card.

In addition, foreign employees who intend to apply for a green card but are fired need to find a new employer before the government approves their application documents. The time for the government to approve the application documents varies from several months to several years, but the bottom line is: without an employer, there is no green card.

Many companies have reduced the employment of foreign employees to reduce the legal fees required for employment.