Elon Musk has started a wave of layoffs of thousands of Twitter employees, this in order to reduce the costs of the company. Within these layoffs, there could be hundreds of immigrant workers on highly-skilled work visas who would be in danger of being deported.
At least 250 Twitter workers are employed on an H-1B visa, according to official records. And according to analysis of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data by the National Foundation for American Policy, that number could be as high as 670, or 8% of workers laid off by the company, as reported by Yahoo.
All of them now face an uncertain future.
Musk began the layoffs Thursday night last week. It is estimated that about half of Twitter’s workforce, or about 3,700 people, lost their jobs.
According to USCIS data, Twitter gave 168 immigrants initial approval for H-1B visas since 2020. The company has received approval for 673 such visas since 2009..
H-1B visas are issued to people from other countries with highly specialized knowledge and a business-relevant bachelor’s degree, according to information from USCIS. Visas last three years, but can be extended up to six years.
If this visa is lost, an immigrant has 60 days to find a new job before being deported.. The United States allows 65,000 approved applications a year. Workers with H-1B visas can stay in the US if they can find new employment.
Under immigration law, Musk will be required to pay transportation costs for immigrant workers whose employment ends before the end of their authorized stay.
It should be noted that Musk himself was able to stay in the United States after finishing his university career thanks to the H-1B visa. Previously, he complained about Donald Trump in 2017 for the decision of the then president to suspend this type of special work visa.