Twitter Layoffs Cause Of Concern For H-1B Visa Holders: Report

US Citizenship and Immigration Services give H-1B visa holders a 60-day 'grace period' after termination.

Twitter's mass layoffs have put significant strain on employees who worked as foreign nationals in the United States, especially for H-1B visa holders, according to a report in Forbes. By current standards, they are now on a 60-day deadline with their immigration status under threat. Finding a new job for these laid-off employees,

Those who are in the country while carrying H-1B are extremely important to maintaining their immigration status, the outlet said.

H-1B visas are nonimmigrant visas that allow foreign workers in specialized occupations to reside and work in the United States for a limited period of time. To qualify for such a visa,

The foreign worker must be sponsored by an employer in the United States.

Interestingly, new Twitter owner Elon Musk also arrived in the United States on an H-1B visa years ago for work, according to a Forbes report.

The outlet said there are approximately 625 to 670 Twitter employees in the H-1B case, or about 8 percent of the company's 7,500 employees,

Based on US National Policy Foundation analysis of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data. With the mass layoffs taking place in the microblogging platform, it is not clear how many foreign nationals have been laid off.

What does this mean for employees:

Foreign nationals work in the United States on H-1B, L-1, or O-1 visas. All of these come with a different set of rules. It should be noted that the 2017 USCIS regulation gives H-1B visa holders a "grace period" of 60 days after termination.

Kevin Miner, a partner with Fragomen, told Forbes,

Once the employment is terminated, the H- visa holder enters

1B is in a 60-day grace period during which they need to leave the United States, request a change of status or file an H-1B petition or other immigration petition on their behalf,”

He added that if the above is not done,

The person is then seen as violating their immigration status. As Mr. Miner said: “H-1B workers benefit from the fact that they are already counted under the H-quota.

1B annual fees, so it's somewhat easier for another employer to sponsor them. Employees with other types of immigration status, such as an L-1 intercompany transfer visa,

They often have a harder time processing their immigration status than someone with H-1B status because it's a little easier for another employer to petition them in a short amount of time."

What does this mean for employers:

Employers are required to notify USCIS when there is a "material change" in the terms and conditions of an approved H-1B petition, such as when the employment of an H-1B employee is terminated.

According to the official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website, “Your employer will be responsible for the reasonable costs of moving your return if your employer terminates your employment before the end of your authorized period of stay.

Your employer is not responsible for transportation costs upon your return if you resign voluntarily from your position.”

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