H-1B visa holders scramble in search of new jobs as the 60-day clock ticks

The big tech giants of Silicon Valley are on a spree to slash their headcount. Facebook, the parent company of Meta earlier this month laid off as many as 11,000 employees while Twitter slashed half of its workforce. The employees fired, especially those on the H-1B visa have an arduous task in hand as the clock is ticking for them.

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H-1B visa is a type of visa issued in the US which allows employers to hire foreign workers in speciality occupations.

However, according to rules, when an H-1B visa holder is terminated from their job, they have a 60-day grace period which allows them to maintain the status quo and search for a new job.

Once the said period lapses and the visa holder is not able to obtain employment, they are expected to return to their country of origin.

The original employer is supposed to bear the cost of their return ticket under the H-1B visa policy.

Indians, who constitute one of the largest demography of employees in US tech companies arethe hardest hit in the current climate. Employees sacked are pleading their case by saying the '60-day' window is not enough to find a new job. Several have taken to social media platforms like LinkedIn to reach out in search of new jobs.

While the circumstances are tough, good samaritans likeHarsh Jain, co-founder of fantasy platform Dream 11 have jumped in and presented a ray of hope to the fired employees.

WATCH |WION Fineprint | United States: H-1B Visa stamping outside the US soon?

Reportedly, in the backdrop of the mass layoffs, Jaintook to Twitter and offered Indian employees fired by the major tech firms to join his company especially those with Visa issues.

“With all the 2022 Tech layoffs (52,000+!) in the US, please spread the word to remind Indians to come back home (specially those with visa issues) to help Indian Tech realise our hyper-growth potential in the next decade!” Jain wrote in a tweet.

“#shamelessplug if you or someone you know fits the above, feel free to reach out to us on indiareturns@dreamsports.group. We @DreamSportsHQ are a profitable, $8 Billion Co with 150 Million+ users and 10 kickass portfolio companies," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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