Meta has started firing thousands of new employees. The tech company has reportedly cut up to 6,000 jobs in the latest round of layoffs. While this is heartbreaking news for many who have been laid off, the Indians and other NRIs who have been working in the US with an H1B visa are impacted the most as they have a limited time to find a new job.
People who have an H1B visa need to find a new job after leaving a firm because if they fail to do so, then they will be deported to their home country. The laid-off employees have only 60 days to get a new job or they will be forced to leave their work country. Several people with H1B visas are requesting their LinkedIn contacts to help with finding a job before the time ends for the visa.
"After an incredible 20-month journey as a Trust & Safety, Program Manager at Meta, I have been impacted by the most recent round of layoffs. I'm actively seeking new opportunities in Program Management, Data Engineering and Data Analytics," Kushal Naidu who was a Trust & Safety, Program Manager at Meta wrote on LinkedIn. "I am in the US on a work visa (H1B) and therefore, I need to find a job soon," Naidu said requesting his LinkedIn contacts to help find jobs that might be available for him.
Naidu is not alone and there are several others with H1B visas that are actively looking for a job before they hit the 60-day timer set for visa holders.
"Today I join the pool of many thousands of talented people laid-off by Meta," Sneha Agarwal who was Data Analytics Program Manager at the company announced her layoff news in a LinkedIn post. "I am looking for new data science & analytics/Analytics Program Manager roles with a company that is willing to sponsor work visa (H1b)," she added.
The latest set of layoffs is a continuation of job cuts that were announced in March 2023. Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced layoff of 10,000 more employees two months back and the tech giant reportedly fired only 4,000 workers until April. Hence, the remaining employees are being removed right now.
Back in November 2022, Meta first announced that it would reduce the company's workforce by 13 percent. It basically eliminated 11,000 workers earlier this year. Hence, so far, it has sacked 21,000 employees.