Layoff fears are pushing some visa holders out of Big Tech

Repeated layoffs at major tech firms like Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, and Apple have made job security a top priority for visa holders in the industry, according to several workers who have found themselves at a crossroads. A layoff can threaten a visa holder's ability to remain and work in the US, as they generally have only 60 days to find another employer willing to sponsor their visa or leave the country.

Vinit Juneja, a software engineer who started at Amazon last year, moved to the US on an F-1 STEM OPT visa. After witnessing colleagues lose their jobs during two rounds of layoffs that eliminated about 30,000 positions at Amazon, job security became a greater concern for Juneja. He accepted a technical product manager role at Applied Materials in April, seeing the company's position in the AI chip supply chain as a more stable long-term bet.

Ayush Raj Jha, an H-1B visa holder from India, has also changed jobs due to layoff fears. He set out to find a more senior software engineering role and eventually accepted a staff software engineer position at a customer service software company, believing it might offer greater job stability due to its privately-owned nature.

Despite the allure of strong compensation, career growth, and large-scale products offered by Big Tech companies, some visa holders are choosing to leave due to ongoing layoff concerns. Others are starting businesses, leaving the country, or exploring visa options that would allow them to pursue entrepreneurship instead of relying on an employer. The departure of skilled workers from Big Tech could have significant implications for the industry, which heavily relies on foreign talent.