'Cheaper labour, not...': Microsoft under fire for 6,300 H-1B visa requests amid layoffs, US citizens call for govt restraint

Microsoft is facing growing backlash over its handling of H-1B visa requests, as fresh reports link the tech giant’s foreign hiring push to simultaneous mass layoffs in the U.S. According to multiple social media posts and labor filings, the company submitted over 6,300 H-1B visa requests for software engineering roles in Washington, the same state where 2,300 employees, including 817 software engineers, were recently laid off, according to WorldNetDaily.

The backlash intensified following a post by user @kate_p45 on X (formerly Twitter), who wrote: “We need @SecRubio to deny visas to Microsoft. It's absolutely pitiful that they just laid off 2,300 workers and now are applying for over 6,000 H-1B visas!”

Adding to the criticism, Microsoft confirmed a new wave of 9,000 global job cuts, impacting several business divisions, including gaming. The layoffs represent less than 4% of the company’s workforce but come at a time when Microsoft is also ramping up its offshore investments, including a $3 billion commitment to India and plans to train 10 million people in AI skills there.

Critics say the company’s visa applications and layoffs reflect a broader misuse of the H-1B program. One X user commented: “Why did Microsoft lay off 9,000 employees but request 14,181 H-1B visas? Because they wanted to ‘reboot’ their workforce with a global upgrade!” Another wrote: “This is happening across many companies. The system is being abused.”

According to WorldNetDaily, Microsoft has filed 14,181 foreign labour requests this year alone, 82% of which were reportedly offered wages below the local market average. Many of the filings were routed through Indian outsourcing firm Integreon (India) Pvt Ltd, raising further questions about the company’s labour strategy.

Another user added: “Anyone that’s done software dev for any amount of time can earnestly tell you, it is not because of a skill gap.”