Layoffs turn life upside down for Indian H-1B workers in US

'FIND WORK IN 60 DAYS OR LEAVE'

- MPOST BUREAU

For many Indian technology professionals in the United States, the latest wave of layoffs has turned job loss into a far wider crisis, threatening not just income but immigration status, family stability, and long-term plans built over years.

Fresh cuts across the US technology sector, including at Meta, Amazon, Oracle and LinkedIn, have intensified anxiety among Indian workers on H-1B visas, whose legal right to remain in the country is tied directly to employment. Under US immigration rules, workers who lose their jobs generally have a 60-day grace period, or until their I-94 status expires, whichever comes first, to secure a new sponsoring employer, switch visa categories, or leave the country.

For many, that countdown begins from the last working day, not when final compensation arrives. The pressure is particularly acute for Indians, who remain the largest group using the H-1B visa programme. US government data for fiscal year 2025 showed Indians accounted for 283,772 of 406,348 approved H-1B petitions, making them heavily exposed when hiring slows.

The wider technology slowdown has added to that strain. According to Layoffs.fyi, more than 110,000 employees across 144 technology companies have lost jobs so far in 2026. Immigration experts say thousands of those affected are likely H-1B holders, many of them Indian professionals.