Oracle has conducted a major restructuring involving an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 job cuts worldwide while simultaneously filing thousands of H-1B visa petitions for foreign workers.
On March 31, 2026, thousands of Oracle employees received termination emails notifying them it was their last day, with system access revoked immediately and no prior warning from managers, according to multiple reports from affected workers.
The company disclosed a $2.1 billion restructuring charge in its most recent quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, primarily related to employee severance and operational efficiencies tied to its AI and cloud expansion.
Public data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows Oracle America Inc. filed approximately 3,126 H-1B visa petitions across fiscal years 2025 and 2026, including 436 petitions filed in fiscal year 2026 so far.
The timing of the layoffs and H-1B filings has drawn significant criticism online and from some lawmakers, with accusations that the company is replacing U.S. workers with lower-cost foreign labor. Oracle has not issued a public statement directly addressing the connection between the layoffs and the visa applications.
Analysts have estimated the cuts represent roughly 18% of Oracle’s global workforce of about 162,000 employees, with India seeing the largest impact.
Oracle has been aggressively investing in artificial intelligence infrastructure and cloud services. The company has not commented on whether the H-1B visas are intended to fill roles affected by the recent restructuring.
The situation has renewed debate in the technology industry about the use of the H-1B visa program during periods of large-scale layoffs and workforce restructuring.
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