Laid-Off Meta Employee Gets 60 Days to Leave After 14 Years in the US, Says It Is a 'Gut-Wrenching' Experience

A LinkedIn social media post about a former Meta Platform employee forced to leave the US after 14 years has reignited criticism of America's employment-based immigration system, particularly the H-1B visa programme and its strict post-layoff rules.

Former Meta technical program manager Sridhar Vanka said he had made the 'difficult decision' to move his family back to India after losing his job during Meta's latest round of layoffs.

'I have had to make the difficult decision to move my family back to India,' Vanka wrote, explaining that his immigration clock had run out following his layoff in May.

A Career Built Across America's Biggest Tech Employers

Vanka's professional journey reflects that of many skilled foreign workers who have spent years contributing to the US technology sector and the overall economy.

Vanka started his career at Tata Consultancy Services, then moved to Amazon before finally joining Meta. Note that these three companies collectively account for more than 333,000 H-1B Labor Condition Application filings since fiscal year 2015, making them among the country's largest H-1B sponsors.

Despite spending 14 years in the US, his legal ability to remain in the country was tied to his employment. After Meta eliminated his position in May, he entered the standard 60-day H-1B grace period, during which laid-off workers must either secure another sponsoring employer, change immigration status, or leave the country.

A Temporary Visa for 14 Years Is Not Temporary

Vanka's post quickly went viral as it resonated with the hardships many skilled immigrants face despite living for decades in the US without permanent residency.

LayoffHedge posted on X that 'a temporary visa that runs 14 years is not temporary.' Highly skilled professionals who pay taxes, build careers, and raise families in America remain vulnerable to sudden job losses because their immigration status depends almost entirely on employer sponsorship.

At the same time, the 60-day grace period can be particularly difficult in a technology hiring slowdown.

A System Under Increasing Pressure

The US grants 85,000 new H-1B visas annually through its regular cap, including 20,000 reserved for holders of advanced US degrees. However, many workers remain on temporary visas for years because employment-based green card backlogs, particularly for applicants from India, can extend well beyond a decade.

Immigration policy experts have cautioned that country-specific green card limits have created enormous queues, leaving thousands of highly skilled workers dependent on employer sponsorship for much of their careers. That dependency becomes especially risky during industry-wide layoffs.

Since 2022, the technology sector has eliminated countless jobs, with companies including Meta, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Cisco, and Intel all announcing significant workforce reductions . For H-1B workers, those layoffs often trigger a race against the immigration clock.

More Than Just a Layoff

Vanka's LinkedIn post described the emotional toll of the past several weeks. He wrote that the experience involved 'optimism, hope, uncertainty, anxiety, heartbreaks and waiting,' adding that the constant uncertainty surrounding his immigration status had overshadowed career decisions for years.

Vanka also thanked colleagues who reached out with referrals and emotional support, saying the family's final weeks in America had been 'gut-wrenching'.

His story has become symbolic of a broader conversation surrounding skilled immigration in the US, one that extends beyond layoffs to questions about permanent residency, talent retention, and whether long-term visa holders should continue to face such uncertainty after spending years contributing to the country's economy.