A major immigration program enabling foreign workers to secure green cards has seen Microsoft suspended by the Trump administration. Vice President JD Vance announced the move, accusing the tech giant of fraud and replacing laid-off American employees with foreign visa holders.
Vance told reporters that Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers last year. The company gained from nearly 3,000 green cards and 6,300 H-1B visas at the same time, he stated. The administration says this pattern proves the company broke the rules.
According to the New York Post, the suspension blocks Microsoft from the Program Electronic Review Management labor certification process. This program is the main pathway for foreign workers to get permanent status in the United States.
Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling stated that several other large IT firms face the same suspension. These companies include Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini, and Adobe. "We will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labor certification applications involving these companies," Sonderling declared.
The government claims these firms have asked for massive numbers of foreign workers over the last decade. Critics argue the H-1B program frequently allows cheaper foreign labor to displace American employees, while Sonderling noted that "since 2009, just these companies alone have requested almost 3 million foreign workers".
Vance used strong words to describe the situation at Microsoft. According to The New York Post, Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though he stated, "If you do the math, for every worker that Microsoft laid off, they replaced that worker with one and a half foreign indentured servants".
The Washington Examiner noted that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will meet President Trump on Thursday afternoon. During this meeting, Nadella is expected to receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. This award comes at the same time the government cuts off the company's visa pathway.
Per the New York Post, the administration targets the specific PERM labor certification program. This action stops the transfer of employees on temporary H-1B visas onto a permanent green card track. The move affects only these specific companies and does not ban them from all visa types.
Government officials say the fraud allegations are serious enough to warrant immediate action. The suspension takes effect now while the department reviews the companies' past applications. No date has been set for when the review might end or if the ban could be lifted.
The data presented by Vance shows a clear swap of American workers for foreign hires. He stated that 6,000 Americans lost their jobs while 6,300 foreign visas were granted. This ratio supports the administration's view that the current system is broken.
Keith Sonderling's statement about 3 million requests since 2009 highlights the scale of the issue. The government argues that such high numbers cannot be legitimate if American workers are being fired first. The suspension aims to stop this cycle until the fraud claims are proven false.