My friend works in a big MNC, and his colleague quit his job. A careless HR employee revoked his H1-B work visa instead of the guy who quit. My friend has all the documents and even a visa stamping appointment in India next month. He was completely unaware of this situation until he tried to call his college to inform them of his status change from student visa (F1-OPT) to work visa(H1-B) before traveling for his stamping appointment. He was in for a rude shock when the college officials informed him that they couldn't find his work visa number.
My friend then asked his company HR about it and after a lot of digging they found out what had happened and apologized to him for their mistake. Turns out the HR employee who made the mistake has also left the company. So there are no consequences for the HR who made the mistake.
My friend is now stuck in a frantic situation without a valid visa and is in danger of losing his job for absolutely no fault of his. He has to now re-apply for his work visa and pray that it gets picked in the lottery next year. He is in very real danger of getting deported despite taking a lot of effort to do everything right. He also has to do a ton of additional paperwork and undergo a lot of stress and anxiety for no fault of his.
What are his options here ? Could he sue his employer for negligence? Any help would be appreciated