[returningfory]

I'm on a H-1B visa, which sounds like the same visa your co-worker is on.

H-1Bs are permitted to change jobs, and if they are laid off from their current job they have 60 days to find new employment before having to leave the United States. Even if they have to leave, they can continue to job hunt remotely (really hard, I know) and if they get an offer they can return to the US on the same H-1B (no lottery). In NYC at least, medium to large employers are very happy to process the H-1B transfer paperwork because good engineers are in such high demand.

If your co-worker is as good as you claim he is, he should start looking for a new position. It's not as hard as many people think it is on this status. The main thing is to get beyond the mentality that you're beholden to your original sponsor - you aren't.

[dudul]

You also need to find an employer that understands how trivial it is to file a petition for a worker who already has an H1B. It is cheaper than paying a recruiter and the success rate of getting the candidate is much higher.