Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. I just thought I should explain that my understanding is that with H1B visa, as soon as the employment is terminated, one should immediately leave the country which leaves the H1B employee in a very weak position. I am also currently on visa (not H1B) and I do not know what I would do in a similar situation even though it may be obvious for a US citizen or a green card holder that one should leave ASAP. Unfortunately people like Michael in your story are well aware of this disadvantage of the H1B visa and some do take advantage. I thought this might help understand H1B folks better. Of course it would make sense if they had at least a couple of weeks grace period to find another employer to sponsor their H1B visa but current immigration law does not allow that. Quitting and going back home is a much tougher decision for some visa holders than the others specially if they have lived in the US for so long and/or obtain their masters or PhD degree here.