Coworkers have come together to help Indians find work
and stay in the US after recent IT layoffs affected hundreds of
Indians with temporary visas in the country, Savita Patel, a journalist based
in California, reported for the BBC.
Software engineer Amit (not his original name) was
recently let go from Twitter, yet he claims to have already had
a few interviews and even gotten a "reference for a fantastic
career."
He said that this is in part because of the initiatives
taken by his peers in the industry, who are using their personal networks to
help other laid-off computer professionals like him find employment.
"Hiring managers and engineers on LinkedIn I'd
never contacted before have been sharing my profile in their companies and this
has helped me get a few interviews," he told the journalist.
Amit is one of the many tech workers who have been laid
off and are receiving help from the online and offline support networks that
have emerged as a result of the widespread layoffs at significant US tech
companies.
Numerous companies, including Meta, Twitter, and
Amazon, have recently let go of thousands of employees as a result of growing
concerns about an economic collapse. Indians holding H1-B visas (a
non-immigrant visa that permits companies to hire foreigners for up to six
years) are among those affected and are now required to leave unless they find
a job within 60 days.
Since they are aware of the uncertainties that an H1-B
visa brings, IT colleagues in the US have united to assist their friends in
finding employment before they are compelled to leave. They are disseminating
positive messages, advertising job openings, and utilising personal networks in
order to unite immigration lawyers, recruiters, and job seekers on a single
platform to deliver solutions.
Vidhi Agrawal and Shruti Anand, who work for software
companies on H1-B visas, have created a database. It links job seekers and
prospective employers, the BBC reported.
"These [the laid-off employees] are among the top
tech talent in the world," said Agrawal, who works at the software firm
Databricks. "From the resumes we see they're well-educated, super-skilled
and making upwards of $250,000 [£203,400]." She added that several companies,
including her own, are open to hiring from the available talent pool.
She says that she and Anand have been helping
"resumes be seen by the right people" and "fast-tracking
referrals and interviews" because they're aware of the tight time-frame for
H1-B visa holders.
"Vidhi's efforts have directly resulted in me
getting a reference for a good role," Amit said, who moved to the US six
years ago from India.
Amit, who comes from a low-income family in India,
claims he excelled in school and aspired to the top of his field.