Twitter And Other Tech Layoffs Raise H-1B Visa Employment Issues

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Stuart Anderson for Forbes observes that, in the wake of the massive Twitter layoffs, matters will likely be “more complicated” for employees with H-1B visas.  “There are approximately 625 to 670 Twitter employees in H-1B status, or about 8% of the company’s 7,500 employees, based on a National Foundation for American Policy analysis of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data. (This is an estimate since Twitter has not published a precise number.)”

Other technology companies also employ H-1B visa holders. Last week, Stripe CEO Patrick Collison sent an email to its employees that the company is “reducing the size of our team by around 14%.” Stripe has approximately 300 to 350 employees in H-1B status, about 4% to 5% of its workforce.

Anderson concludes:  “Layoffs can be gut-wrenching experiences for workers. The experience becomes more complicated when immigration status is involved. The layoffs at Twitter and Stripe are likely to be no exception.”

KJ