The US has suspended eight technology companies, including Microsoft and major Indian IT firms, from filing new or pending applications under the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM), a key step toward green cards for skilled foreign workers. The freeze particularly affects Indian nationals, who hold the majority of H-1B visas and have historically used PERM to move toward permanent residency. Industry body Nasscom says Indian firms have already cut reliance on H-1B visas in favour of local hiring, and company data shows PERM filings from TCS and others had already dropped sharply before the suspension.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-10-21
The Trump administration temporarily barred Microsoft, Adobe, and outsourcing firms Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini from using the Perm program to sponsor foreign workers for permanent US residency. Vice-president JD Vance accused Microsoft of abusing the H-1B visa system more than any other company, saying it replaced American workers with foreign labour, while the Labor Department's inspector-general said subpoenas had been issued and investigations were under way.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-09
Vice President JD Vance announced Thursday that Microsoft and Adobe have been suspended from the H-1B visa program. Vance accused the companies, among others, of abusing the system to hire cheaper foreign labor. The move follows other Trump administration actions targeting alleged misuse of H-1B visas.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-09
Vice President JD Vance announced Thursday that Microsoft and Adobe have been suspended from participating in the H-1B visa program. The move comes amid accusations that these and other companies have misused the visa system to hire foreign workers at lower wages, and follows broader Trump administration efforts to restrict H-1B visa practices.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-09
Vice President JD Vance said the administration has suspended Microsoft and several other technology companies from a federal program that allows them to sponsor skilled foreign employees, including H-1B visa holders, for permanent residency. The announcement did not specify the reasons for the suspension or how long it would last.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-08
The US government has excluded Microsoft, Adobe and several other major IT companies from a green card program, according to a report cited by TechCrunch. Microsoft responded with a statement defending its hiring practices, saying most of its US employees are Americans and that 80% of its roughly 6,000 H-1B filings last fiscal year were extensions or status changes for existing staff rather than new hires.
yro.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-08
The Trump administration has barred Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys and Tata from the PERM program, which lets H-1B visa holders pursue permanent residency by certifying no qualified American workers are available. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the agency is investigating whether the companies committed fraud by undercutting American workers through foreign hiring. Vice President JD Vance specifically accused Microsoft of abusing the visa system, a claim Microsoft disputes, saying it hires according to visa standards while also building American talent.
wired.com
· 2026-10-08
The Labor Department has halted processing of new and pending permanent labor certification applications tied to H-1B visa holders at Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini. Vice President JD Vance said the companies had abused the green-card system by under-advertising US jobs to justify hiring foreign workers instead, singling out Microsoft as the heaviest user of the process. Microsoft responded that most of its H-1B filings were extensions for existing staff rather than new hires, and that new-hire visas represent only 1 percent of its US workforce.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-08
The Trump administration accused Microsoft of abusing the H-1B visa program and said it is cutting off the company's access to it. Microsoft responded that 80% of its roughly 6,000 H-1B applications last fiscal year were to extend or change status for existing employees rather than hire new workers, and that new-employee filings equaled just 1% of its U.S. workforce. The company said all H-1B employees are paid comparably to other staff in similar roles.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-08
Technology industry associations are pressing the Trump administration to withdraw a proposed Department of Homeland Security rule that would impose a $103,265 fee on H-1B visa applications. The proposal has revived long-running tensions between the administration and tech companies over the future of skilled-worker immigration policy.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-24
New federal rules, including a proposed $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications introduced in September 2025, are adding to a string of immigration restrictions on skilled foreign workers. IEEE Spectrum found that U.S. tech companies are responding by expanding hiring and opening offices abroad rather than sponsoring visas domestically, though none of the 25 firms contacted would discuss the shift publicly.
spectrum.ieee.org
· 2026-09-14
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