And when H1-B workers do lose their jobs, they "are no longer eligible to be in the United States," Kussin said. They generally have a 60 grace period in which to find a new job.

to two H-1B holders who are in a perilous situation, using pseudonyms to protect their identity.

One, called "Prasad," is 28, from India and has a master's in electrical engineering from MIT.

His position at a Silicon Valley start-up was cut in December, and the company, realizing his situation, agreed to keep him on for two more months to buy him time to hunt for a new job. So far, he's had no luck.

"I just need to find a new job" soon, he told The Mercury News. "There's a distinct possibility that I will have to leave. The downturn has come, companies have frozen hiring, I'm in the wrong company and I got laid off."