I work at Toyota or JP Morgan in Plano on an H-1B visa. What happens to my immigration status if I'm laid off?

An H-1B visa is employer-sponsored and tied to the specific petitioning employer's approval. When your employment with the sponsoring employer ends — whether by layoff, termination, or resignation — your H-1B status technically ends as well. However, federal regulations provide a 60-day grace period for H-1B workers (and most other work-visa categories) that begins on the last day of employment. During this 60-day window, you can pursue a new H-1B transfer to a new employer, change to another immigration status (such as a spouse's H-4 with work authorization, or an F-1 student visa if you enroll in school), or make other arrangements — but you cannot work during this period unless you have a new H-1B or other work authorization in place. H-1B transfer to a new employer is particularly valuable: the new employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf, and you can begin working for the new employer as soon as the petition is filed (portability begins at filing, not approval, for H-1B transfers). You do not need to go through the annual H-1B lottery for a transfer if you already hold an approved H-1B. The 60-day grace period is short in the context of a job search in a competitive tech market, so consulting an immigration attorney immediately after any employment termination is critical to evaluate your options and prevent an unauthorized-presence problem, which has serious future immigration consequences.

I'm from India and have been waiting for a green card through my Collin County employer for years. What are my options?

The per-country employment-based immigration backlog for Indian-born applicants is one of the most severe in the U.S. immigration system. The EB-2 (advanced degree) and EB-3 (skilled workers) categories for India-born applicants are oversubscribed by decades — as of 2026, priority dates in some categories date back to 2012 or earlier, and the wait for someone starting the process now could extend well beyond retirement age at current processing rates. Options worth exploring with an immigration attorney include: (1) EB-1A or EB-1B: The EB-1 priority worker category (outstanding researchers and professors, extraordinary ability, or multinational managers under EB-1C) has no per-country backlog — if you qualify, the wait is measured in months rather than decades; (2) EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW): allows self-petition without employer sponsorship for applicants whose work is in the national interest — applicable to some researchers and entrepreneurs even outside traditional academic settings; (3) Maintaining H-1B status and extensions beyond the six-year cap under AC-21 provisions (Section 104(c) and 106) — once an I-140 has been approved for over 365 days or a PERM has been pending for more than 365 days, H-1B extensions beyond six years are available; (4) Exploring whether a spouse's employer-sponsored petition in a less-backlogged category might provide an alternative path. These options require careful analysis of your specific situation and priority dates, and an experienced immigration attorney in the Plano/McKinney area or in Dallas is essential.

I am undocumented and was a crime victim in Collin County. Can I get immigration protection?

Yes — several immigration relief options exist specifically for crime victims, regardless of immigration status, and they do not require immigration enforcement to be notified. The U visa is available to victims of qualifying crimes (including domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, robbery, felonious assault, and many others) who suffered substantial physical or mental abuse, have information about the crime, and cooperate with law enforcement or prosecution. The U visa requires a certification from a qualifying official — a law enforcement agency, prosecutor, or judge — confirming the victim's cooperation. Collin County law enforcement agencies and the DA's office can provide these certifications. U visa holders receive four years of lawful status and work authorization and may become eligible for a green card after three years. The T visa is available to victims of severe trafficking (sex trafficking or labor trafficking involving force, fraud, or coercion). VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) self-petitions are available to victims of domestic violence perpetrated by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, parent, or child — the victim files directly with USCIS without the abuser's knowledge. Importantly, seeking a protective order or cooperating with police does not by itself trigger immigration enforcement. Legal Aid of Northwest Texas (888-529-5277) and several North Texas nonprofit immigration organizations assist crime victim applicants. Consulting with an immigration attorney before interacting with law enforcement about the crime helps ensure both your safety and your immigration options are protected.

What is the Dallas Immigration Court, and how does it work for Collin County residents?

The Dallas Immigration Court (Executive Office for Immigration Review; Earle Cabell Federal Building, 1100 Commerce St., Suite 1060, Dallas TX 75242; 214-767-1919) is the federal immigration court with jurisdiction over removal (deportation) proceedings for Collin County and surrounding North Texas counties. Immigration courts are part of the Department of Justice, not Article III federal courts, and their proceedings — while having enormously consequential outcomes — operate under different rules than civil or criminal courts. In removal proceedings, a Department of Homeland Security attorney (from ICE's Office of the Principal Legal Advisor) presents the government's case, and the respondent (the individual in removal proceedings) has the right to retain a private attorney at their own expense. There is no government-appointed counsel in immigration court — unlike in criminal court — which means that individuals who cannot afford an attorney may appear unrepresented even in cases with complex legal issues. Pro bono and reduced-fee immigration legal services are available from Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services), and other North Texas nonprofits, though demand significantly exceeds capacity. Detained individuals in immigration enforcement actions in Collin County are typically held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, TX (about 45 minutes south of Dallas) pending their hearings. Non-detained cases proceed on a slower docket. An immigration judge's decision can be appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), and BIA decisions can be appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals — a long and expensive process. Early intervention by an immigration attorney before formal proceedings begin offers the best chance of favorable outcomes.

What free or low-cost immigration legal help is available for Collin County residents?

Several organizations provide free or reduced-cost immigration legal services in the North Texas region, serving Collin County residents: Legal Aid of Northwest Texas (LANWT; 888-529-5277; lanwt.org; 1515 Main St., Dallas TX 75201) handles some immigration matters — including U visa, T visa, VAWA, SIJS, and asylum cases — for income-qualifying clients, though capacity is limited and not all immigration matter types are covered. RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services; raicestexas.org) provides immigration legal services across Texas including the DFW area, with a focus on asylum seekers, detained individuals, and families. Catholic Charities Diocese of Dallas (214-520-6590) operates an immigration legal services program handling DACA, family petitions, adjustment of status, and related matters on a reduced-fee sliding scale. The North Texas Dream Team and similar community organizations assist DACA recipients with renewals and navigation. For employment-based immigration issues (H-1B, L-1, green card petitions) — the most common immigration matter in Collin County's corporate sector — most assistance comes from private immigration attorneys. Corporate employers typically retain immigration law firms to handle sponsored visas and green cards for their employees at the employer's expense, but employees navigating issues outside the employer's sponsored process (personal green card options, family petitions, naturaliation) often need their own counsel. The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) maintains a directory of immigration attorneys at ailalawyer.com.

Immigration Law in Collin County, Texas

Collin County has one of the most diverse immigrant communities in North Texas, shaped primarily by its status as a major employment hub for multinational corporations. The Legacy West development in Plano hosts the North American headquarters of Toyota Motor North America, JP Morgan Chase, FedEx Office, Ericsson, and dozens of related companies, creating extraordinary demand for employment-based immigration pathways — H-1B specialty occupation visas, L-1 intracompany transferee visas, TN visas under the USMCA for Canadian and Mexican professionals, and employer-sponsored permanent residence (green card) through the EB-1 priority workers, EB-2 advanced-degree and national-interest waiver, and EB-3 skilled-worker categories. The Indian-American community in Collin County is among the largest in Texas, with a high concentration in McKinney, Plano, Allen, and Frisco, and many members are navigating employer-sponsored green card backlogs that can stretch decades for those born in India under the per-country caps. The Chinese-American and Korean-American communities are also substantial, reflecting tech-sector and business migration.

Employment-based immigration cases in Collin County follow the standard federal process: H-1B petitions are filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by employers using the electronic registration and lottery system (the annual H-1B cap is 65,000 regular-category plus 20,000 for U.S. master's degree holders, with a random lottery for oversubscribed categories). L-1A (managers and executives) and L-1B (specialized-knowledge workers) visas do not have annual caps but require the employee to have worked for the employer's foreign affiliate for at least one continuous year in the prior three. Collin County employers regularly sponsor employees for permanent residence through the labor certification (PERM) process administered by the Department of Labor, followed by an I-140 immigrant visa petition with USCIS and, ultimately, adjustment of status or consular processing. Workers born in India and China face the most extreme waits due to per-country limits in the employment-based second and third preference categories — priority dates can be decades behind current, meaning green card approval may take 10, 20, or more years after PERM approval.

Removal (deportation) cases for Collin County residents are heard at the Dallas Immigration Court (Earle Cabell Federal Building, 1100 Commerce St., Suite 1060, Dallas TX 75242; 214-767-1919), which handles immigration court proceedings for Dallas, Collin, and surrounding counties. Detained aliens in immigration enforcement actions taken in the Collin County area are typically held at the Prairieland Detention Center (1401 E. I-20, Alvarado TX 76009) or at other ICES-approved facilities in the North Texas region. The ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Dallas Field Office (125 E. John Carpenter Freeway, Irving TX 75062; 214-905-9090) has jurisdiction over Collin County. Individuals in removal proceedings have the right to retain an attorney at their own expense (there is no government-funded appointed counsel in immigration court), making early legal consultation critical.

DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) remains a significant issue for Collin County's immigrant community, including children of corporate workers and longtime residents. As of mid-2026, DACA renewals continue to be processed, but new initial DACA applications remain blocked by federal court litigation (the Fifth Circuit and Supreme Court challenges to the program's legality). Texas is a party to the litigation challenging DACA, making the program's future uncertain. DACA recipients in Collin County can continue to renew their status and work authorization but should work with an experienced immigration attorney to monitor developments and explore other potential pathways, including employment-based green card sponsorship for those who qualify. TPS (Temporary Protected Status) and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) are available to qualifying individuals from designated countries, including many in the Latino community across Collin County's southern cities.

The undocumented immigrant population in Collin County is smaller proportionally than in border-adjacent counties but is present in the construction, landscaping, food service, restaurant, and domestic-services sectors concentrated in Plano, McKinney, and Frisco. Immigrant crime victims — including victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, certain other violent crimes, and labor exploitation — may qualify for U visas, T visas, or VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) self-petitions regardless of immigration status, without the cooperation of an employer or the requirement to have been employed in a particular field. Certifications from Collin County law enforcement or prosecutors are typically required for U visa applications. Legal Aid of Northwest Texas (888-529-5277; lanwt.org) handles certain immigration matters for income-qualifying clients, and the North Texas Immigration Coalition and local nonprofit providers assist Collin County immigrants with legal services and community support.

Need immigration-related legal documents?

Affidavits, power of attorney, notarized forms — 150+ document types.

LawDepot 150+ state-specific legal documents Free trial · From $33/mo

Create Document →

ULF

US Legal Forms State-specific legal forms From $14.95

Browse Forms →

Sponsored links. Affiliate disclosure · Compare all options