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.