For thousands of Indian tech workers in the United States, the last few months have morphed into a frantic race against time. The arrival of a single redundancy email can instantly jeopardise an entire existence— disrupting careers, mortgages, children's education, and the legal right to remain in the country. As tech giants like Meta, Amazon, and Oracle pare back their workforces, many Indians on H-1B visas are finding themselves trapped under a strict 60-day deadline imposed by American immigration rules. Under this system, foreign professionals who lose their jobs have just two months to secure another employer willing to sponsor their visa. Failure to do so means they must pack up and leave. For families who have spent a decade building their lives across the Atlantic, the emotional and financial strain is becoming unbearable.
To buy themselves a bit of breathing space, a growing number of redundant workers are attempting to switch temporarily to B-2 tourist visas, which theoretically allow them to stay in the US for up to six months. However, immigration specialists warn that this route is becoming increasingly fraught. US authorities have started demanding unprecedented amounts of paperwork, leading to a sharp rise in "Requests for Evidence" and outright visa denials for former H-1B holders. While the strategy remains entirely legal, securing approval has become vastly more difficult as immigration offices tighten their scrutiny. Experts note that the sheer volume of pushback from authorities is unlike anything seen in previous downturns.
This immigration crisis is unfolding alongside a brutal wave of job cuts across the technology sector. So far this year, more than 110,000 employees have been laid off across nearly 150 tech companies globally. Given that Indian nationals traditionally secure the lion's share of H-1B visas — accounting for nearly 70 per cent of all approved petitions in recent cycles — they are bearing the brunt of this instability. What makes their situation uniquely precarious is the notorious green card backlog. Because of per-country caps, many Indian professionals have been waiting years, sometimes over a decade, for permanent residency. They have bought homes, enrolled American-born children in local schools, and fully integrated into their communities, only to feel suddenly abandoned by the industry they helped build.
In light of these obstacles, however, the prevailing opinion amongst the affected parties is changing. There are more and more people who are questioning the point of staying in the country because of the effects that artificial intelligence has been having on recruitment trends in technology. Some of them are trying alternative routes to enter the country, such as enrolling into universities or obtaining visas designed for talent attraction; however, there are increasing numbers of individuals who are considering other countries, especially those like Canada or Europe, that offer efficient immigration procedures.
Their apprehension is heightened by the restructuring of companies such as Meta, whose pivot towards artificial intelligence has prompted them to lay off employees around the world once again. The company has set out to streamline its engineering and product teams, thus putting many employees on edge about their departments. Though the exact number of Indian visa holders that will be impacted by this change has yet to become clear, there seems to be an overall uneasiness surrounding the situation.
Also read: Meta shifts many into AI roles ahead of job cuts tomorrow
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