After Mass Layoffs, Meta Offers Immigration Assistance to H-1B Visa Holders

As mass layoffs begin at Facebook’s parent company Meta, employees on work visas such as H-1Bs are now facing uncertainty over their immigration status, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledging that “this is particularly important.” harder than if you’re here on a visa” and providing assistance to the affected.

Meta announced it was laying off 11,000 employees, or 13 percent of its workforce, with Zuckerberg describing it as “some of the most difficult changes we’ve made in Meta’s history.” US-based technology companies employ a large number of H-1B employees, most of whom come from countries like India.

The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialized occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire thousands of employees every year from countries like India and China.

“I have decided to reduce the size of our team by approximately 13 percent and let go of our more than 11,000 talented employees. We are taking several additional steps to become a leaner and more efficient company by cutting discretionary spending and in Q1 through extending our hiring freeze,” Zuckerberg said in a letter to employees.

“I want to take accountability for these decisions and for how we got here. I know it’s hard for everyone, and I’m especially sorry for those affected,” he said.

While acknowledging that “there’s no good way to lay off”, Zuckerberg said the company hopes that those affected will get all the relevant information as soon as possible and then do whatever it takes to support them through it. Maybe he does.

Among the measures the company is taking to help those affected by layoffs in the US is “immigration support”.

“I know it’s especially difficult if you’re here on a visa. There’s a notice period and some visa grace period before expiration, which means everyone has a chance to plan and work through their immigration status.” The time will come. We have dedicated immigration experts to help guide you through what you and your family need.”

H-1B visa holders can live and work in the US for a period of three years, which can be extended for another three years.

They are then required to leave the country unless their employees sponsor them for permanent residency, known as a green card, the backlog for which runs for decades. If H-1B visa holders lose their jobs, they only have a 60-day “grace period” to find an employee willing to sponsor their H-1B, failing which they will be required to leave the US .

Patrick Thibodeau, a Washington-based reporter, wrote on Twitter Monday that “Facebook layoffs could result in huge losses for H-1B employees. Facebook is classified as an H-1B “dependent,” meaning that its 15 percent or more of the workforce is on Visa. When visa holders lose their jobs, they may have to leave the US if they don’t find a new employer sponsor quickly.” Other support measures announced by META include 16 weeks of severance pay for base pay and two additional weeks for each year of service, with no limit; Coverage of health care costs with an outside vendor for six months and three months of career support for people and their families, including early access to unpublished job leads.

He added that outside the US, support will be similar, and the company will soon follow different procedures that take into account local employment laws.

In his explanation of how the company got to the point where it had to take such drastic cost-cutting measures, Zuckerberg said the world became increasingly online at the start of the COVID pandemic and with the rise of e-commerce. Revenue increased.

“Many predicted that this would be a permanent acceleration that would continue after the pandemic ended. I did too, so I decided to significantly increase my investments. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as I expected,” They said.

Not only has online commerce returned to earlier trends, but Meta’s revenue has fallen far below what it expected due to the macroeconomic slowdown, increased competition, and loss of advertising signals. “I got it wrong, and I take responsibility for it,” he said.

Zuckerberg said the company needs to become more capital efficient in the new environment.

“We have shifted most of our resources to a smaller number of high priority growth areas – such as our AI (Artificial Intelligence) discovery engine, our advertising and business platforms, and our long-term vision for the Metaverse.

“We have cut costs across our business, including reducing budgets, reducing perks, and reducing our real estate footprint. We are restructuring teams to increase our efficiency. But these measures alone are not enough for us. We will not bring the expenses in line with our revenue. Development, so I have also taken the difficult decision of letting people go,” he said.

(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)