Latest news with #H1Bs
India Today
05-08-2025
- Business
- India Today
US hiring slowdown shakes American dream for Indian students. What now?
The US added just 73,000 jobs in July 2025, well below what analysts expected. And worse, earlier estimates for May and June were revised down by a combined 258,000. Together, these two factors have pushed the unemployment rate up to 4.2%.Meanwhile, immigrants have taken the hardest hit. Possibly around 1.7 million jobs were lost in total for immigrant workers since January 2025, many of them Indian students and recent grads abroad, the US hiring slowdown is a wake-up call, urging them to take a pause and SLUMP CUTS AND PUBLIC SECTOR LAYOFFS Since January 2025, the US has seen 735,000 fewer foreign-born workers in the labour market. That's a huge number, and a strong sign that immigrant workers, many of them on student visas or H1Bs, are among the first now say the country needs to create just 50,000-70,000 jobs a month to keep unemployment steady. That is far lower than the boom years and not great news for anyone finishing a degree and hoping to jump straight into the job market. Moreover, the federal government has cut over 84,000 jobs since January, trimming departments and scaling back non-essential top of that, earlier job data has been revised down sharply. This means the slowdown isn't just about missed forecasts -- it's baked into the system GRADS BEAR THE BRUNT ACROSS INDUSTRIESIt's not just about numbers on paper. For Indian MBAs, STEM graduates, or master's students hoping for an H1B, the hiring pause is hitting employers in finance, tech, and consulting have gone quiet. Hiring cycles have slowed, job postings have dropped, and even OPT-to-full-time transitions are facing simple terms, Indian students abroad are now chasing fewer roles, with more applicants, under tighter visa caps. It's a triple like manufacturing, technology, and professional services -- typically favoured by international grads -- are shedding jobs or freezing hiring. Hiring is holding only in healthcare and social those finishing a master's or MBA in the US -- especially in tech, finance or data -- landing a job has become tougher overnight. Unemployment among degree holders aged 22-27 hit the highest level in over a decade, now 5.8%, much higher than the overall budgets bubble under hiring caution. Fewer openings at tech or consulting firms mean Indian graduates face longer wait times or thin odds. WHAT INDIAN STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS SHOULD DO NOWRethink timelines: Don't assume the job offer will come by graduation. Even strong students may need more time post-OPT to land something stable. You can also think of transitioning to backup cities or backup plans beyond the US: Roles in Singapore, Canada, or remote positions with Indian startups are becoming serious Plan Bs. An Asiabased role, remote US work, or further studies may become options worth on networks: This isn't the time to wait for campus placements. Personal referrals, LinkedIn connections, handson internships matter more than policy changes: US immigration, OPT/H1B rules, and state hiring preferences are shifting fast. Stay THIS A CRASH OR JUST A CORRECTION?To be clear, the US economy isn't falling apart. Some sectors like healthcare and social services are still hiring. But the post-pandemic bounce has we're seeing now is a tighter, slower job market. And that means more uncertainty for those who bet big on a foreign Indian students in the US, the slowdown isn't the end of the road. But the road has more curves outlook for Indian students depends on how fast hiring rebounds, or whether visa restrictions and economic caution persist. The policy environment is murky. India-origin students and professionals watching from home or abroad must plan ahead -- with backups, clear job strategies, and readiness to pivot.- Ends
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
‘Why H-1B requests?' Microsoft layoffs spark strong reactions; questions around foreign hirings
Microsoft announced that it is laying off about 9,000 workers in its second mass layoff in months and its largest in more than two years. The Satya Nadella-led tech giant sent out notices on Wednesday, hitting the company's Xbox video game business and other divisions. According to a notice, 830 workers at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, lost their jobs. Microsoft is laying off 9000 employees in its latest cut(REUTERS) CNBC cited a Microsoft spokesperson to report that the company said that it will continue such organizational changes to best position its teams for success. The tech giant further added that the layoffs impact several divisions around the world, including sales. Read More: Microsoft layoffs: Why Perfect Dark reboot was canceled and The Initiative studio closed A memo to gaming division employees Wednesday from Xbox CEO Phil Spencer, as per AP, said the cuts would position the video game business 'for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas'. Now, these layoffs have sparked strong reactions on social media, with some Americans questioning Microsoft's H-1B hirings. The tech giant had 4,725 H-1B visas approved in 2024. This year, social media users claimed that it has requested for 14,181 H-1B visas. However, the claim is unverified. 'Microsoft has submitted applications for over 6,000 H-1B visas for software engineers. Seems Microsoft wants to replace current employees with lower wage immigrants,' one person noted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. Read More: Microsoft's AI can diagnose illnesses faster than most doctors, but it's not replacing them anytime soon "Why did Microsoft lay off 9,000 employees but request 14,181 H-1B visas?- Because they wanted to "reboot" their workforce with a global upgrade!" another one added. 'As Microsoft announces 9,000 layoffs, they have 4712 applications for H1Bs so far in 2025. They typically get a 99%+ approval rate from the Department of Labor. This is economic treason. Approving a single H1B right now is a grave betrayal of your fellow citizens,' a third person tweeted. Microsoft just last month cut another 300 workers based out of its Redmond headquarters, on top of nearly 2,000 who lost their jobs in the Puget Sound region in May, according to information it sent to Washington state employment officials as cited by AP. Microsoft's chief financial officer Amy Hood said on an April earnings call that the company was focused on 'building high-performing teams and increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers.'
Hindustan Times
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Indian H-1B holder with DUI history reenters US smoothly, while poor Prince Harry remains murky
You know, right, that as an immigrant, if you have a past DUI or drug use history while on a student or work visa in the US, your visa could be revoked? But that's not what happened with one Indian H-1b holder. The Indian professional with a DUI history has successfully reentered the States on a fresh H-1B visa, without a hitch. Suprisingly, Prince Harry is facing huge legal woes due to his admission of past extensive illegal drug use. The Duke wrote in his 2023 memoir that cocaine 'wasn't much fun, and it didn't make me particularly happy, as it seemed to make everyone around me, but it did make me feel different, and that was the main goal,' then added, 'Marijuana is different. That actually really did help me.' ALSO READ| One honest answer cost him his US visa, claims Indian, Reddit weighs in The Indian national, who had been working in the U.S. on an H-1B visa before being laid off in 2022, was selected again in the most recent H-1B lottery. Despite a DUI charge in '2021, 6 months license suspension and 6 months probati', he had no issue securing a visa and reentering the country through Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. 'He was previously working here on H1B, but left due to layoff in 2022. Now he is back with a new employer. He had a DUI in 2021, 6 months license suspension and 6 months probation. He also had a reckless driving charge along with the DUI, which he had to pay a fine,' a user posted on Reddit. 'He was worried at the port of entry, but he wasn't questioned about the DUI. He was asked some basic details about the job and employer. I believe DHS is not targeting H1Bs, mainly F1s regarding traffic violations.' 'He is from India and he underwent the physical and psychological examination during stamping,' the Redditor further added. ALSO READ| Asian woman's dreams crushed after US denies entry to see boyfriend: 'Feels like my heart's been ripped out' has not independently verified the authenticity of this information. Notably, M9 News reported that an Indian student initially secured an H-1b, but a DWI 'charge resulted in the cancellation of their SEVIS record.'
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vance Calls for ‘Normalize Indian Hate' DOGE Guy to Be Hired Back
JD Vance, whose wife is the daughter of Indian immigrants, advocated Friday for the rehiring of a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) engineer who was accused of posting 'normalize Indian hate' on X. Vance acknowledged he disagreed with 'some' of what 25-year-old Marko Elez had reportedly posted on a burner X account but said he does not think 'stupid social media activity should ruin a kid's life.' 'So I say bring him back,' Vance said on X. 'If he's a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that.' A flurry of people rushed to remark that Elez's posts—in which he allegedly wrote someone 'could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity' and 'I was racist before it was cool'—were proof enough he was a 'bad dude.' Others praised Vance for standing up for Elez, however, and Elon Musk appears to be at least considering hiring him back at DOGE. Musk wrote in an X poll: 'Bring back @DOGE staffer who made inappropriate statements via a now deleted pseudonym?' The overwhelming majority of users voted in favor of bringing Elez back. Many in the poll's comments said they agreed with Vance, who also wrote of Elez's situation: 'We shouldn't reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever.' The Wall Street Journal first revealed Elez's old posts on Thursday. The report said Elez had resigned after the White House was asked to comment about his possible ties to the account. That account—username @nullllptr—disparaged Indians in the tech sector amid the MAGA civil war between Musk, who supports the H1-B foreign worker visa program, and Trump lackey Steve Bannon, who wants it abolished. In a post that appeared to be directed at Indian software engineers amid the debate, the account reportedly wrote, '99% of Indian H1Bs will be replaced by slightly smarter LLMs, they're going back don't worry guys.' 'LLMs' stands for Large Language Models , which are artificial intelligence programs that use deep learning to process language. Elez, a Rutgers University graduate, worked for Musk's SpaceX, Starlink, and X before he landed a gig at DOGE, where he was granted access to the Treasury Department's 'top-secret' payment system.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
J.D. Vance and Musk Tag Team to Restore Racist DOGE Bro to Government
The Vice President and Elon Musk, the de-facto head of government under Donald Trump, are tag teaming on social media to promote the reinstatement of Marko Elez, a key Musk deputy who departed his post inside the Treasury Department amid a Wall Street Journal exposé linking him to racist social media posts, including the boast: 'I was racist before it was cool.' Elez, a 25-year-old programmer and alum of Musk's rocket company SpaceX, has been at the center of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency's intrusion into sensitive payments systems at Treasury. While DOGE's mission at Treasury is opaque, Democratic senators are concerned Musk and his deputies seek the ability to shut off federal payments, down to the level of an individual Social Security check. (Elez was recently named in a federal court order limiting DOGE's access, establishing that only Elez and a DOGE colleague can access Treasury records, on a 'read only' basis.) As The Wall Street Journal was about to go to press with its scoop, Elez resigned his post in government. On Friday, Musk — whose X handle now reads 'White House Tech Support' — began what appears to be a campaign for Elez' return. Musk began running a poll on his social network (formerly known as Twitter) asking: 'Bring back @DOGE staffer who made inappropriate statements via a now deleted pseudonym?' The poll received the attention of Vice President J.D. Vance, who sought to influence the results by personally lobbying for Elez: 'Here's my view,' Vance wrote. 'I obviously disagree with some of Elez's posts, but I don't think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid's life. We shouldn't reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever. So I say bring him back.' He added of the 25-year-old man, whose offensive posts reportedly date to last year: 'If he's a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that.' Vance, it should be noted, is married to a woman of Indian heritage. And one of Elez' odious posts reportedly said: 'Normalize Indian hate,' and, 'You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity.' Elez also reportedly posted against the H1-B visa, used by tech companies to employ skilled foreign programmers — a program defended by Musk even in the face of the MAGA anti-immigrant crusade. Elez reportedly wrote in December. '99% of Indian H1Bs will be replaced by slightly smarter LLMs,' adding: 'They're going back don't worry guys.' Musk has also targeted the Wall Street Journal reporter on the Elez report over her past connection to USAID, the agency Musk has successfully sent to the 'wood chipper,' suggesting that her previous involvement in projects relating to the agency years ago makes her reporting on Elez 'Certainly improper, possibly criminal.' Rolling Stone reached out to Elez earlier in the week asking about his role at Treasury and did not hear back. He did not immediately respond to a followup about Vance's call for his reinstatement. More from Rolling Stone Dem Overseeing 'Digital Assets' to Hold Luxury Retreat With Crypto Kingpin Patrick Mahomes Debunks Trump's Weird Lie About His College Career Kanye West on X: 'Elon Stole My Nazi Swag' Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
