Oracle seeks thousands of FOREIGN workers as they lay off 30,000 Americans

After Oracle workers received layoff emails on Tuesday, it has been revealed that the company is looking to hire foreign staffers at the same time.

Data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services shows Oracle submitted approximately 3,126 H-1B worker petitions for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, with 436 filed this year alone, per the New York Post. These applications are required when companies want to hire foreign workers for specialized work. Up to 30,000 workers were laid off from Oracle earlier this week. 

Amazon, which announced 16,000 corporate job cuts in January, has also submitted about 2,675 H-1B petitions during the same period. That also followed October's announcement of 14,000 additional layoffs. The revelation of Oracle's foreign hiring efforts angered social media users.

On Blind, an anonymous employee forum, one user called the H-1B petitions a "slap in our face."

"If this doesn't make you angry, maybe you need to read some heartfelt posts on LinkedIn from Oracle employees who are US citizens and have been laid off after working at Oracle for years," the user said.

Another commenter posted on the site: "Look at all big tech companies, they do massive layoffs then rehire at lower salary."

A third added: "Transnational corporations are disloyal to the American state and the nation."

H-1B petitions allow companies to hire foreign workers when they cannot locate qualified domestic candidates. While firms argue this program is crucial for developing advanced technology, critics say it gives foreign workers a leg up over Americans in the hiring pool as foreign workers can be hired at a lower salary.

Copies of the email that sent Oracle employees on their way said, "After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organizational change.”

Terminated workers were informed they would be "eligible to receive a severance package subject to the terms and conditions of the severance plan."

The Oracle layoffs occur as the tech industry has been in chaos with hiring, as AI has been taking the industry by storm. The first quarter of 2026 recorded 52,050 tech layoffs, which is a 40 percent increase from last year.