Mark Zuckerberg sends note to laid-off H-1B employees: We know this is difficult

Another round of layoffs has hit Meta, and this time the impact is being felt far beyond office buildings and corporate restructuring charts. Thousands of employees woke up to an email informing them that their jobs had been cut as the company moves deeper into its AI-focused future. But buried inside the formal layoff memo was one section that especially stood out for foreign workers on H-1B visas — a short message acknowledging the fear and uncertainty many of them are now facing. According to a report by Business Insider, employees received the email around 4AM on Wednesday. The message informed workers that their roles had been eliminated as part of Meta’s latest reorganisation exercise. Reports suggest the company has cut nearly 8,000 jobs, which is said to be close to 10 per cent of its workforce, while also moving thousands of employees into AI-related teams. Read Full Story The email reportedly asked employees already present in offices to collect their personal belongings and head home. It also mentioned that access badges and internal systems would soon be deactivated, after which affected workers would be redirected to Meta’s Alumni Portal for severance details, benefits, and job assistance. Meta described the layoffs as part of its efforts to operate more efficiently while continuing to invest heavily in artificial intelligence. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been aggressively pushing AI to the centre of the company’s future plans, with reports indicating that Meta could spend over $100 billion on AI-related investments this year. While the memo is really long, one section of it specifically addressed employees whose visas and work permits are tied to Meta. The company wrote, "We know this is especially difficult for those whose visa and work authorisation is by Meta." It further said that the affected workers could use the Alumni Portal for more details. "The Alumni Portal has general immigration guidance to help address your immediate questions. The guidance also contains the contact information for your assigned law firm. You can also open a case via the Alumni Portal if you have specific questions about your case," the memo added. Meta is basically telling laid-off employees on work visas that losing their jobs will also impact their immigration status because their visa sponsorship is tied to the company. The company said affected workers can use its Alumni Portal to access immigration guidance, contact assigned law firms, and raise questions related to their visa cases. But, there is no mention of any external help that the company would provide in terms of extending their stays, which would give them some more time to grab a new job. A report from Economic Times revealed that impacted employees with H-1B visa are struggling to survive in the US because of the work visa rules. H-1B layoffs at Meta: People switching to different visas to survive outside India Under US immigration rules, H-1B workers who lose their jobs generally get only 60 days to find another employer willing to sponsor them. If they fail to secure a new role within that period, they may have to leave the country. The situation has become more stressful as layoffs continue across the tech industry. Data from Layoffs.fyi suggests that over 110,000 tech workers across 144 companies have been laid off in 2026 so far. Experts tracking immigration trends say a sizeable portion of these employees are likely on H-1B visas, with Indian professionals expected to be among the most affected. Indian nationals continue to dominate the H-1B system in the US. As per figures reportedly released by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Homeland Security for FY25, Indians received 283,772 approvals out of a total 406,348 H-1B petitions. Many affected workers are now reportedly trying to switch temporarily to B-2 visitor visas in order to stay longer in the US while searching for jobs. However, immigration lawyers told ET that approvals are becoming harder to obtain as authorities increasingly demand extra documentation and issue more denials. The emotional pressure is also growing because many Indian professionals have spent years building their lives in the US. According to a report from ET, some are still waiting for green cards stuck in long backlogs, while others have children studying there, ongoing home loans, and families settled in the country. As layoffs continue at companies including Amazon, Oracle and Meta, several workers are now reportedly exploring backup options in Canada and Europe. Others are considering alternative visa routes such as F-1 student visas, O-1 visas, and intra-company transfer visas. People are reportedly trying to move to move to Canada through programs like Express Entry and the Global Talent Stream. Meta layoff memo to employees: Read full text here As previously shared, we have decided to reduce headcount as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently an