As layoffs in the tech industry ramp up toward the end of the year, some workers and their families are scrambling to find work and remain in the United States.
So far, over 150,000 people have lost their jobs in the industry as companies seek to correct course after years of rapid growth and high costs. According to Layoffs, an online site that tracks tech layoffs, one-third of those job losses have occurred in the last month.
When workers lose their jobs, they may have to brush off their résumés in order to find new work, but an increasing number find themselves in limbo because of their visa status.
Watson Immigration Law founder Tahmina Watson says, “It’s not just one person’s life at stake.” Her husband and wife are also at risk. This is probably the case for children born in the United States – children who came here when they were young and knew nothing but America.
There will be the uprooting of entire families involved. It is even more complicated when someone is laid off while they are on a visa. Often, laid-off workers are unable to explain why they are unemployed because it is invisible and too complex.”
H-1B visa holders face difficulties.
The temporary H-1B visa, which allows American employers to hire foreign workers for skilled jobs, has experienced significant difficulties over the past few years. If laid-off H-1B workers fail to find new employment within 60 days, they will be deported.
Watson says workers are struggling to find a lifeline as a result of so many layoffs taking place at the same time.
“Under US law, anyone who is on a visa must continue working; otherwise, they are illegally present in the country,” Watson said. “So anybody who is looking at perhaps being laid off soon, they need to start thinking about it immediately. “What are their options?”
For years, the program has been a steady source of tech talent, with roughly 70% of H-1B visa holders working in computer-related jobs, according to federal statistics.
