Thousands of Indian IT professionals in the United States who have lost their jobs due to recent layoffs at companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are having difficulty finding new jobs within the time frame required by their work visas to remain in the country.
To make matters worse, many high-profile companies, including Google, halted Green Card processing. Many Indians have worked hard to obtain the Green Card, which serves as proof of permanent residence, because it provides more security than the non-immigrant H-1B work visa.
According to industry insiders, between 30 and 40% of those laid off during the massive layoffs are Indian IT professionals, with a significant number on H-1B and L1 visas. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The L-1A and L-1B visas are intended for temporary intracompany transfers of employees in management or with specialized knowledge.
If IT professionals with H-1B visas who lose their jobs do not find another job and transfer their visa within 60 days of termination, they will have an indefinite future. This is because many Indian IT professionals came to the United States on non-immigrant work visas such as H-1B or L1. When their work visas expire, they may be forced to return to India, where thousands of IT workers have been laid off as well.
These professionals are said to be desperate for work in order to stay in America for an extended period of time, after spending millions of dollars and taking out loans to travel abroad and establish a career.
The sources for this piece include an article in Livemint.
