An Indian artificial intelligence engineer in the United States is preparing to return to India after losing his job when his employer shifted the entire project to its India team.
The case highlights the employment and immigration challenges faced by H-1B professionals during layoffs.
The engineer, who had spent nearly six years building his career in the US, shared his experience on Reddit, according to NDTV.
He said he was laid off while working on an H-1B visa after the company transferred not only his role but the entire project to its Indian operations.
Like other H-1B workers who lose their jobs, he had only a limited period to find new employment and maintain his legal immigration status.
Eligible H-1B workers generally receive a grace period of up to 60 days after losing their job, or until the end of their authorised stay, whichever comes first.
The engineer said the situation was especially painful because the work itself had not been discontinued. Instead, the same project was moved from the United States to India, leaving him without a job in the country where he had built his professional and personal life.
His story has attracted attention online because of the contrast between the American technology industry’s demand for skilled AI professionals and the immigration restrictions faced by foreign workers when they lose employer-sponsored jobs.
The case also reflects a broader problem for H-1B professionals in the technology sector.
Their ability to remain in the United States is directly linked to their employment. As a result, a layoff can quickly turn into both a career crisis and an immigration problem.
Those who fail to secure another qualifying job within the permitted period may have no practical option other than returning to their home country.
The incident also highlights India’s growing role as a major technology hub for global companies.
While companies continue to employ skilled professionals in the United States, they also maintain large engineering teams in India, where projects may be moved as part of restructuring or cost-cutting measures.
The engineer’s experience comes amid continued uncertainty for foreign technology workers in the US job market.
Recent layoffs across the technology sector have affected several workers on temporary employment visas, forcing them to search for new sponsors within tight deadlines.
The situation has also revived debate over the H-1B programme and the place of skilled foreign workers in the American economy.
Supporters argue that the programme helps US companies access specialised talent, while critics raise concerns about outsourcing and the use of temporary foreign labour.
For the engineer, however, the issue is deeply personal.
After nearly six years in the United States, the loss of his job may bring an end to the life and career he built there, even as the project he worked on continues under the company’s India team.
His story shows how layoffs can have consequences far beyond employment for H-1B workers, turning the search for a new job into a race against time.
