US bars Microsoft, Adobe, and major IT firms from skilled-worker green card program

The Trump administration has suspended Microsoft, Adobe, and several other technology companies from a program that helps skilled foreign workers obtain permanent residency in the United States. The government is accusing the firms of fraud.

“Our message to Microsoft is: You’re a great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers,” Vice President JD Vance said at a news conference on Thursday, as reported by Reuters.

Alongside Microsoft and Adobe, the suspension covers Capgemini, Cognizant, HCL, Infosys, Tata, and Wipro. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said the government would not accept any new or pending permanent labor certification applications involving these companies.

The visa the industry leans on

H-1B visas are meant for highly skilled positions that employers may struggle to fill with qualified U.S. workers. Tech companies are among the program’s largest users: according to The Associated Press, nearly three-quarters of approved visas go to workers from India.

Microsoft pushed back with a detailed statement. “We believe in the strength and talent of the American workforce,” a spokesperson said. “That is why the vast majority of Microsoft employees in the United States are Americans.” Of roughly 6,000 H-1B applications filed in the last fiscal year, 80% were to extend or change the status of existing employees rather than to hire anyone new. The remaining filings concerned people already legally in the country and amount to just 1% of the company’s U.S. workforce. Microsoft stressed that it only files petitions for those who meet the category’s rigorous standards and pays H-1B staff the same as others doing comparable work.

Adobe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Universities in the crosshairs too

Vance also said the administration would investigate nine universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, over allegations that they abuse a program allowing international students to come to the U.S. — and that the program was being used to undercut wages for American workers.

Source: TechCrunch