The recent barrage of tech layoffs means more than just a loss of income for many immigrants. They can also lose the ability to remain in this country.
For a large group of current US-based tech workers from different parts of the world, H-1B work visa sponsorship is required to stay in the U.S., which means they have to show proof of a long-term work assignment in order to legally maintain a residence.
“Layoffs do put extra pressure on visa holders because there’s only a limited amount of time for us to find new jobs,” a recent ex-employee of a major tech company told NBC News in an interview. “It’s tough.”
There has more than 32,000 reported tech layoffs with more scheduled to come through early next year, along with large-scale hiring freezes at companies like Apple and Meta .
“I know this is especially difficult if you’re here on a visa,” Facebook and Meta Founder Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a memo to the companies. “There’s a notice period before termination and some visa grace periods, which means everyone will have time to make plans and work through their immigration status.”
“Workers are less likely to choose the U.S. as a destination for working in the tech sector.”
Zuckerberg also noted Meta would also support employees with specialized immigration assistance if they needed it.
Tech companies both large and small have cut jobs, including Twitter and Netflix, which cited the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and over-hiring during rapid growth periods. Other tech giants like Robinhood, Glossier and Better are a part of a growing list that are continually letting people go, ESSENCE previously reported.
Visa-holding workers are now left scrambling to find new jobs as strict deadlines loom.
“U.S. immigration policy has amplified the uncertainty for immigrant workers in times like this. A lot of tech workers will have to pack up their lives and leave,” said Gaurav Khanna, an assistant professor of economics at the University of California at San Diego, in an interview with NBC News. “That means workers are less likely to choose the U.S. as a destination for working in the tech sector.”