Laid-off Indian IT workers look for ways to remain in the US.
Indian IT professionals are attempting to locate new jobs in the US within the period permitted by their work visas following the layoff of thousands of employees. Since November of last year, about 200,000 IT workers have reportedly lost their employment, with some record numbers at firms like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon.
According to sources in the sector, the news outlet PTI stated that 30 and 40 per cent of Indian IT professionals had lost their jobs in the US. who has H-1B and L1 visas in significant numbers?
What are the L1 visa and H-1B?
US companies may employ foreign nationals for specialised roles requiring theoretical or technical expertise using the non-immigrant H-1B visa. As a result, technology companies hire tens of thousands of workers each year from countries like China and India.
Temporary intracompany transfers who hold managerial positions or possess specialised knowledge are eligible for L-1A and L-1B visas.
Indian IT workers with non-immigrant work visas like the H-1B are L1 and are currently looking for ways to remain in the US in a sizable number. Now that they have lost their jobs and had their visa status changed, they are having difficulty finding new employment within the few months that are allowed under these foreign work visas.
Only three months have passed since Gita, an Amazon employee (name changed), arrived in the nation. According to PTI, she received the news that her last day on the job will be March 20 last week.
The situation is getting worse for those on H-1B visas because they only have 60 days left to find new employment before they must return to India. Because tech businesses are hiring like crazy, they think it will be practically impossible to find a job in that short of time.
Another H-1B-qualified IT expert named Sita was let go by Microsoft on January 18. She is a mother by herself. Her kid is in his junior year of high school and preparing for college admission. We are genuinely struggling in this scenario, “she informed PTI.
Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a businessman and prominent figure in Silicon Valley, said that the fact that vast numbers of tech workers are being laid off is regrettable, especially for those with H-1B visas who face additional challenges because they must change jobs and transmit their visas within 60 days of termination or risk leaving the country.
This might have severe implications for families, including the selling of houses and delays in children’s education. He said that it would be desirable for tech companies to handle H-1B workers differently and extend their termination date by a few months, given the difficulty of the job market and hiring process.
By connecting job seekers and recruiters, the Global Indian Technology Workers Association (GITPRO) and the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) launched a neighbourhood-wide campaign on Sunday to try and help these IT workers. The FIIDS’s efforts will have an impact on the policies and decision-makers at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
“January 2023 has been extremely difficult for computer employees due to general layoffs in the sector. Considerable smart people lost their jobs. They are the most probable to be impacted because Indian immigrants dominate the tech business, “said Khande Rao Kand.
The H-1B visa holders laid off must locate an H-1B-sponsoring job within 60 days, fail to do so, and depart within 10 days of losing their status. The lives of this legal immigrant who pays taxes and contributes to society are being severely disrupted, according to Khande Rao Kand from FIIDS.
To better help H-1B employees and keep highly skilled personnel in the US, Bhutoria stated it would be advantageous for the immigration procedure to be overhauled.
These fired Indian IT workers have set up several WhatsApp groups to find a way out of the terrible situation they are in. Within one WhatsApp group, more than 800 unemployed Indian IT workers share information about new job openings around the country.
With several immigration lawyers who volunteered to lend their consulting skills during this time, they have been exploring various visa choices in another group.
“These concerns are terrifying and have such a harmful impact on us settlers. We feel rather confused “stated that on Thursday, Microsoft fired Rakesh (name changed). He is a US citizen and has an H-1B visa.
Things are getting worse for these professionals as a result of Google’s most recent news that they are postponing the processing of their Green Cards. This is mostly because they don’t want to be seen arguing before the USCIS that they need a foreign IT specialist to become a permanent resident at a time when they have fired thousands of employees. Other companies are expected to do the same.
Google stated that it would continue to support PERM applications that have already been submitted, so the suspension won’t affect recent or upcoming applications for other visa types, according to the Observer.
PERM, then, is that? When American employers want to apply for a foreign worker’s permanent residence, they frequently need to start the process by getting a “labour certification” (LC) from the Department of Labor (DOL). The PERM application is the prerequisite for starting the “green card” application procedure.”
However, the United States claimed on January 17 that there had been notable advancements in the issuing of business visas to Indians as well as a substantial improvement in the issuance of H1B visas.
There were significant difficulties with the issuing of visas since travel resumed shortly after the outbreak. To further streamline the process, the US claimed to have taken several measures, such as boosting the number of employees.
