American Company Sacks Indian Employees in Four-Minute Virtual Call, H-1B Visa Concerns Rise

An employee shared their experience on the social media forum Reddit, writing that they logged in at 9 AM as usual. At 11 AM, an invitation for a mandatory virtual meeting arrived from the COO. As soon as the meeting began, all cameras and mics were turned off, and an announcement was suddenly made: 'The Indian workforce is being removed.'

While US President Donald Trump has imposed a hefty fee of $100,000 (approximately ₹88.74 lakh) on new H-1B visa applications, its impact is now being felt by Indian employees working remotely for American companies. Recently, a US tech company laid off several employees working from India in a Zoom call that lasted just four minutes.

Sharing his experience on the social media forum Reddit, one employee wrote that he logged in as usual at 9 AM. At 11 AM, he received an invitation for a mandatory virtual meeting from the COO. As soon as the meeting began, all cameras and microphones were turned off, and an announcement was suddenly made: 'The Indian workforce is being removed.' The COO clarified that this layoff was not performance-related but part of an internal restructuring. Affected employees were immediately informed via email that October 1 would be their last working day.

Visa Fees and Future Dilemmas

As news of the layoffs surfaced, concerns among visa holders intensified on social media. The situation could become more difficult for employees with H-1B or work visa status. According to experts, the situation for immigrants in the US this year is the most challenging in several decades. Policy changes, tech sector layoffs, healthcare difficulties, and an anti-immigrant sentiment have deepened the uncertainty.

In December 2021, Better.com CEO Vishal Garg laid off over 900 employees in a sudden Zoom call. At that time too, the criticism was that the company had disregarded human sentiments by snatching away hundreds of jobs simultaneously.