Booking.com Position on hold

After getting laid off, I applied for SE 2 role at Booking.com Amsterdam through referral. I successfully cleared Online Test, Recruiter Call, DS Round, System Design Round. After this I was informed that due to internal changes and they cannot move forward with my application. On furthur inquiring I was told "At the moment we are holding on to new hires and working on re-define our business needs and I can't say when we will go back hiring for this role." However, I can see new positions for SDE 2 on linkedin and their website. Just wanted to check if there's a hiring freeze for international candidates(or from india). Location: Bangalore,India TC: 33LPA INR YOE: 5 #layoff #booking.com #amsterdam

Booking.com: The largest selection of hotels, homes, and vacation rentals
Booking.com: The largest selection of hotels, homes, and vacation rentals
Booking.com
Booking.com: The largest selection of hotels, homes, and vacation rentals
Booking.com: The largest selection of hotels, homes, and vacation rentals
Booking.com
Compass ULTRONN May 24, 2023

Happened for me as well.. they are known for ghosting

Booking.com RainHorse May 26, 2023

There is hiring slowdown in-place, hence most position is filled by internal hiring.