@beeoproblem @herid @caseyliss @gruber I thought those visas were not specifically about working for one company, likely the original sponsor, but about being in constant employment. So they could go to another company, but that is obviously more difficult at the moment with the tech sector in the state it is in.

@lomanfeusagach @beeoproblem @herid @caseyliss @gruber It's really not that easy, though. The new company has to be able and willing to sponsor you, and go through a lengthy process to interview and hire any new individual who requires a visa. Larger companies have a process, but startups aren't set up for it. Anyone living in that place of vulnerability will undoubtedly be trying to find a new sponsor, but it can take years for all the elements to call into place.

@AshleyMarineP @lomanfeusagach @beeoproblem @caseyliss @gruber

wait, **years** ?! I would have thought that anyone working at twitter would have a fairly easy time finding a new employer. But I am not in tech so perhaps that was naive.

@herid @lomanfeusagach @beeoproblem @caseyliss @gruber Hiring in the industry has changed so much in the last year. Many companies are on hiring freeze. If they're in a leadership position they have a better chance but just being a staff engineer, for example, doesn't carry the weight that it used to. Unless they're a specialist in something there's no reason for a company to go through the added work of sponsoring someone when there are thousands of other engineers searching at the same time.

@herid @lomanfeusagach @beeoproblem @caseyliss @gruber There are two added factors, as well. Bias against people who speak English as a second language is rampant in Silicon Valley. They also have to be very discreet about the fact that they're looking. They can't post on social media or blast their CVs around to recruiters without fear that it gets back to their current employer. Traditional networking is pretty much out.

@AshleyMarineP @lomanfeusagach @beeoproblem @caseyliss @gruber thanks. that was educational. things work very differently in academia. Poor English is a big minus too because people have to teach but retaliation by the current employer for looking for a new job is not a thing.

@herid @lomanfeusagach @beeoproblem @caseyliss @gruber I don't know the specific risks of this is the US, but it's also possible that, if Twitter fires someone who has a visa and doesn't file the proper paperwork, it could leave them in a limbo state and damage their ability to be sponsored by someone else.

Twitter isn't even properly giving people notice, there is no way they would follow through properly with immigration.

@AshleyMarineP
I am not certain as it's been a long time since I have dealt with this but I don't think anything is required from twitter in this situation except letting US immigration know that someone has been fired. but even if they don't I believe that doesn't hinder any prospective new employer from submitting a change of employer H1B petition.

@herid That's good to know, at least!

@lomanfeusagach @beeoproblem @caseyliss @gruber

Yes, that's correct. However, this does require the new employer to be willing to sponsor your H1B application. They are the ones who have to file a petition with USCIS to start the process. It is some bother for them but it's certainly doable. Anyone who hires H1B people in the first place would know how to do it. And this step is exempt from the quota requirements unlike the original H1B hiring. however, this all takes time and there are deadlines so as a practical matter you need to line up the new job and start the process in advance, otherwise it's easy to lose status and that's the last thing you need when dealing with US immigration. The grace period after an H1B person is fired or their contract ends is just 60 days. When I switched employers on H1B visa my new employer filed the petition a couple of months before my old contract expired. I am in academia, not industry and universities are familiar with the process so this was fairly straightforward.

H1B visas are only extendable for up to 6 years (I had to leave the country after 6 years on H1B) so by my count of initial applications from the data on https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/h-1b-employer-data-hub?fy=All&items_per_page=100&naics=All&state=All&topic_id=Twitter twitter has at most 429 ppl on H1B assuming nobody left or was fired and everybody stays for the max allowed time. which is of course not the case. so I expect the actual number is maybe half that.