After thousands of Indians working on temporary visas in the US lost their jobs in the recent tech layoffs, their colleagues have come together to help them find work and stay in the country. California-based journalist Savita Patel reports.
Amit (name changed on request), a software engineer, was recently fired from Twitter, but says he has already had a few job interviews and received “good character references.” “Also found.
He says that’s partly due to the efforts of his colleagues in the industry, who are helping tech workers like him find jobs by tapping into their professional networks.
“Hiring managers and engineers I’d never contacted before on LinkedIn were sharing their profile at their companies and that helped me land a few interviews,” he says.
Amit is among hundreds of laid-off tech workers who are taking advantage of online and offline support groups that have sprung up following mass layoffs at major tech firms in the US.
In the past two months, firms such as Meta, Twitter and Amazon have laid off thousands of staff amid growing fears of an economic downturn. Among those affected are Indians working on H1-B visas — a nonimmigrant visa that allows firms to employ foreigners for up to six years — who now have 60 days to find or leave a job. are forced
Fellow tech workers in the U.S., aware of the uncertainty caused by H1-B visas, are banding together to help their colleagues find jobs before they are forced to leave. . They are sending motivational messages, flagging job openings and tapping into personal networks to bring immigration lawyers, recruiters and job seekers together on common platforms to offer solutions.
Vidhi Aggarwal and Shruti Anand, who work for tech firms on H1-B visas, have created a database to connect job seekers with potential employers.
“These [loads of employees] are among the top tech talent in the world,” says Ms. Aggarwal, who works at software firm Databricks. “From the resumes we see they are well educated, highly skilled and earning more than $250,000 [£203,400].” She adds that many companies, including her own, are open to hiring from the available talent pool.
She says she and Ms. Anand are helping “get resumes from the right people” and “fast-tracking references and interviews” because they are aware of the tight timeframe for H1-B visa holders.
“Hiring managers understand that it’s time-sensitive. I know people who are fast-tracked for interviews. It’s not unheard of for a company to go through multiple rounds of interviews within a month. ” she says.
“Vidhi’s efforts directly resulted in me getting a reference for a good role,” says Amit, who moved to the US from India six years ago.
Amit, who comes from a low-income family in India, says he was good at studies and wanted to reach great heights in his career. “So my family supported my education in the US with a huge mortgage. They sacrificed their dreams and happiness for me and I am forever [in their] debt. They are totally me. depends on,” he says.
He added that his “overriding concern” at the moment is finding a job and the support of fellow professionals is heartening.
