The problem isn't with finding new job, it's with time. There is no grace period for H1b. If you are laid off without any advance notice, you have to pack up your stuff and leave the country immediately. Not to mention, you have no time to sell off your car or any other property, unless you have friends who can do that after you leave. So unless you are proactively looking to change company, you are always under constant fear. Source: http://www.uscis.gov/tools/ombudsman-liaison/practical-immig... See Q2