Oracle Files Thousands of H-1B Visa Petitions Amid Mass Layoffs

Oracle has filed thousands of H-1B visa petitions while simultaneously conducting mass layoffs of its existing US workforce, according to reporting that generated significant discussion on Hacker News and other technology forums. The juxtaposition of large-scale H-1B filings alongside domestic job cuts illustrates a tension that has drawn renewed attention as the Trump administration has simultaneously expressed skepticism about H-1B visas on nationalist grounds while Silicon Valley executives have lobbied to preserve and expand the program. Oracle has been undergoing a significant workforce restructuring as it shifts its business model toward cloud infrastructure and AI services. The company laid off thousands of employees in 2024 and has continued cutting staff in 2025 and into 2026, with particular reductions in legacy software support and administrative functions. H-1B visas are commonly used by technology companies to hire workers in specialized technical roles. Companies argue the visas are necessary to fill positions for which sufficient domestic talent is unavailable. Critics argue the program is often used to replace higher-paid domestic workers with lower-cost foreign labor. Oracle's simultaneous filing of H-1B petitions alongside layoffs fits a pattern that labor advocates have cited as evidence that the H-1B program does not function purely as a domestic talent shortage remedy. The company's petitions would be subject to the annual H-1B lottery, and the filings do not guarantee approvals. Oracle did not respond to requests for comment on the filing and layoff combination.