Overview
- This week Meta cut roughly 8,000 roles as it shifts resources to AI, and affected employees were told to use the company’s Alumni Portal for severance and immigration guidance.
- Under U.S. rules many terminated H-1B holders have about 60 days from their last working day to find a new sponsor or leave the country, creating an urgent deadline for job searches and filings.
- Immigration attorneys report a sharp rise in requests for additional evidence and notices of intent to deny on B-1/B-2 change-of-status applications that laid-off workers are using to buy time.
- Many displaced employees are exploring stopgap options such as B-2 visitor status, switching to F-1 student visas, filing O-1 petitions for extraordinary ability, seeking new U.S. employers, or considering moves to Canada and Europe.
- The cuts hit Indian H-1B holders especially hard because they make up the largest share of H-1B approvals and face long green-card backlogs, which is prompting some families to weigh leaving the U.S. or abandoning multi-year immigration plans.