An Indian artificial intelligence engineer in the United States says he is preparing to return to India after losing his job when his employer moved his entire project to its India team, highlighting the employment and immigration pressures faced by H-1B workers during layoffs.
The engineer, who had spent nearly six years building his career in the United States, shared his experience on Reddit, according to NDTV. He said he was laid off while working in the U.S. on an H-1B visa after not only his role but the entire project was transferred to the company’s India operations.
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Like other H-1B workers who lose their jobs, he had a limited period to find new employment and maintain his immigration status. The H-1B program generally provides eligible workers with a grace period of up to 60 days after employment ends, or until the end of their authorized stay, whichever is earlier.
The engineer said the situation was particularly difficult because the work itself had not disappeared. Instead, the project was moved from the United States to India, leaving him without a position in the country where he had spent years building his professional life.
His account has drawn attention online because of the contrast between the U.S. technology industry’s demand for highly skilled AI professionals and the immigration constraints faced by foreign workers when they lose employer-sponsored jobs.
The case also reflects a broader challenge for H-1B workers in the technology sector. Their ability to remain in the United States is closely linked to their employment, meaning a layoff can quickly become an immigration issue as well as a career setback.
For workers unable to secure another qualifying position within the permitted period, returning to their home country can become the only practical option.
The engineer’s experience also underscores the role of India as a major technology hub for global companies. While companies continue to employ skilled professionals in the United States, they also maintain large engineering and technology teams in India, where projects can be transferred as part of broader restructuring or cost-management decisions.
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His story comes amid continued uncertainty for foreign technology workers in the U.S. labor market. Recent layoffs across the technology industry have affected workers on temporary employment-based visas, forcing some to search for new sponsors under tight immigration timelines.
The situation has also fueled debate over the H-1B system and the position of skilled foreign workers in the U.S. economy. Supporters argue that the program helps American companies access specialized talent, while critics have raised concerns about the use of temporary foreign labor and the movement of technology work offshore.
For the Indian engineer, however, the issue is personal. After nearly six years in the United States, the loss of his job has potentially ended a career and life he had built there, even as the project he worked on continues under the company’s India team.
His account offers another example of how layoffs can have consequences beyond employment for H-1B workers, whose immigration status can make finding a new job a race against time.
The engineer’s experience also illustrates the irony of a skilled technology worker leaving the United States at a time when the work associated with his project remains active, but has shifted to another country.