Former Microsoft employee has only 60 days to find new job, says concerned about his kids

Layoffs in the tech world continue changing lives and social media is full of stories of people struggling to find a new role. And it all becomes even more challenging when you have to find a new job, in the same company, with a similar designation. Sounds perplexing, right? This is exactly what an engineer, who was laid off from Microsoft recently, is facing. He is on an L1 visa, which means that he has 60 days to find a new role. If he fails to do so, he, along with his entire family, will be deported. Also, the L1 visa is a non-transferable one. This means that he can't work for any other company and will have to hunt for a new job in Microsoft itself.

Named Steve Leonard, the ex-Microsoft employee shared his side of the story on LinkedIn and said that as a parent, his sole concern is to ensure a roof over his kids' heads. He also explained what happens when somebody on L1 visa in the US is laid off.

"There have been many layoffs in tech recently (46,000 and counting). Unfortunately, I was one of them. I want to spend a little time explaining what happens when you are laid off on a US visa. Basically, you have 60 days to find a new job, or your entire family will get deported," Steve wrote.

Elaborating further on how an L1 visa works, he added, I'm on an L1 visa which means I cannot transfer my visa to another company. So in my case at Microsoft, I have to find a new role with a similar title in the same company that just laid me off. Oh and that new role has to be willing to sponsor me and the skillset required has to be almost identical to my current role or my visa won't be valid. Pretty tough right? Especially when there's 10,000 other people in my org that are also trying to find a role."

He further writes about everything goes for a toss when someone's partner's right to work ends around the same time. "You both lose your jobs," he writes and adds that in order to survive, the person is likely to have to sell any US assets like cars, home, etc, for a loss.

"In our situation, it can cost upwards of USD 40,000 to get our family and household furniture home," Steve adds.

The scenario doesn't get better if the person returns to his or her home country either as financial obligations in the US remain.

Steve then goes on to add that since a laid-off employee will hardly have any income or savings left after going through everything, finding accommodation will be a seemingly impossible task. He then says that as a parent, the sole concern would be to ensure a roof over the kids' heads.

"Your children have to leave their school and as a parent, your sole concern is simply whether you will be able to put a roof over their heads," he writes.

In the last couple of months, many tech companies have announced layoffs as they try to grapple with daunting economic conditions. Meta, Google, Amazon, Twitter, and Salesforce, among others, have all reduced their workforces, impacting thousands of people and families.