Foreign workers on H-1B visas laid off by Meta asked to stay on the company payroll longer to avoid having to leave the US, report says

H-1B workers laid off by Meta in November requested that the company allow them to stay on the payroll for longer to find new jobs.

Foreign workers on the H-1B visa drafted a letter after Meta announced plans to lay off 11,000 employees.

The tech giant was asked by a former employee if staff on visas affected by the layoffs could stay on their payroll for four months instead of the mandated two months' notice.

The employees wrote that the layoffs put their families, spouses, and kids in school in a bad situation. I'm looking forward to getting a kind extension for the last day of notice in this difficult time for all of us.

Being employed by the firm for a little longer would give them more time to find a new role in a tough job market where tech firms such as Amazon are laying off thousands of employees and implementing hiring freezes.

Foreign professionals can stay in the US on an H-1B visa. H-1B workers are allowed to stay in the US for a certain amount of time.

They only have 60 days to find a new job if they lose their job.

Many of the H-1B workers sponsored by major tech companies have been laid off.

According to several laid off Meta employees, they received a packet on immigration guidance for general information purposes only.

"Your decisions and circumstances will determine your next steps," it said. Meta's immigration hotline had slow response times and employees were told to find their own legal counsel.

According to Meta, the company offers immigration specialists, support resources, and opportunities to ask specific questions to external legal vendors.

Meta didn't reply immediately to Insider's request for comment.