Trump administration suspends Microsoft from green card program

Summarised from 7 outlets · Updated 8 Oct, 18:08 · Archive

The Trump administration is suspending Microsoft and seven other tech companies from a permanent labor certification program that allows foreign workers to obtain green cards.

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it is suspending Microsoft, Adobe and six other major technology companies from the Permanent Labor Certification program, which allows employers to hire skilled foreign workers who can obtain permanent residency in the United States.

Vice President JD Vance announced the suspension at a White House news conference, accusing Microsoft specifically of abuse. "If you do the math, for every worker that Microsoft laid off, they replaced that worker with one and a half foreign indentured servants," Vance said. He noted that Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers in 2025 and said the company had benefited from 6,300 H-1B visas and almost 3,000 green cards.

Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the government would not accept any new or process any pending permanent labour certification applications from the suspended companies. Sonderling stated that since 2009, the companies collectively had requested almost 3 million foreign workers, received over 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labour certifications. "That's hundreds of thousands of jobs that were taken from American workers," he said.

The other companies suspended from the program are Cognizant, Infosys, Capgemini, Tata, Wipro and HCL. Sonderling said Microsoft and Adobe were suspended due to multiple active federal investigations. Vance said the administration's message to Microsoft was clear: "You're a great American company, but you've got to hire great American workers."

The H-1B visa program is designed for highly skilled positions that employers say are difficult to fill with qualified American workers. Technology companies are the largest users of the program, with nearly three-quarters of approved visas going to workers from India. The Trump administration has long targeted the program, arguing that it is rife with abuse and undercuts American workers.

Microsoft applied for H-1B visas for nearly 3,700 workers in 2026, making it the fifth largest employer of H-1B workers. Amazon topped the list with more than 9,300 petitions for 2026. Neither Microsoft nor Adobe immediately responded to requests for comment.

Vance also announced investigations into nine universities, including Harvard, Yale and Stanford, alleging they were abusing a program that allows international students to work in the United States and were using the scheme to undermine wages for American workers. The administration separately introduced a proposed $70,000 fee for international students seeking to work in the United States under the Optional Practical Training program, which allows students to hold jobs tied to their major during or after their education. The suspensions come as part of a broader Trump administration crackdown on immigration and foreign hiring programmes.

How it is being reported

• US suspends Microsoft and Adobe from visa programme amid fraud claimsVisa probe also targets universities for allegedly exploiting international students to reduce US wage costs.Al Jazeera · 8 Oct, 18:25
• Trump administration says Microsoft ‘abused’ worker visa program and is cutting off accessThe Trump administration is suspending some tech companies, including Microsoft, from an immigration program that lets an employer hire foreign workers that can reside permanently in the US, as reported by Reuters. In a press conference, Vice President JD Vance claimed the permanent labor certification program - intended for use when there aren't "sufficient" US […]The Verge · 8 Oct, 17:57
• Microsoft suspended from applying for green cards for H-1B workers, JD Vance saysVice-president also says Adobe is barred from visa program that allows high-skilled workers to apply for US residency Microsoft is suspended from applying for permanent residency for workers employed through a US visa program for high-skilled workers, JD Vance announced on Thursday. The US vice-president accused the tech company of abusing the H-1B system, which allows those on the visa to work while they apply and are in process for a green card. Continue reading...Guardian World · 8 Oct, 17:40
• U.S. suspends Microsoft, Adobe from green-card labor program in foreign worker crackdownLabor Secretary Keith Sonderling cited "multiple active federal investigations" around the two companies' involvement in the program Thursday.CNBC · 8 Oct, 16:51
• US bars Microsoft, Adobe, and major IT firms from green card program for skilled foreign workersThe other firms being suspended from the program include Capgemini, Cognizant, HCL, Infosys, Tata, and Wipro.TechCrunch · 8 Oct, 16:42
• Trump admin cuts off Microsoft from major visa program, accuses tech giant of fraud and abuseThe Trump administration is suspending Microsoft from a major immigration program that allows its foreign workers to transfer from an H1B1 visa to a green card, accusing the tech giant of fraud. “If you do the math, for every worker that Microsoft laid off, they replaced that worker with one and a half foreign indentured...New York Post · 8 Oct, 16:29
• JD Vance says Microsoft is suspended from green card program after alleging abuseThe H-1B visa program has long been targeted by Trump supportersIndependent World · 8 Oct, 16:06

In this story: Microsoft · Adobe · JD Vance · Keith Sonderling · Satya Nadella · Cognizant · Infosys · Tata

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