Vance Suspends Microsoft From H-1B Green Card Program Over 6,300 Visas
Updated
Updated · The Seattle Times · Oct 8
Vance Suspends Microsoft From H-1B Green Card Program Over 6,300 Visas
3 articles · Updated · The Seattle Times · Oct 8
Summary
Microsoft was barred from a program that lets employers seek green cards for H-1B workers after JD Vance accused it of visa abuse and replacing laid-off Americans.
Vance said the company cut 6,000 U.S. jobs last year while obtaining 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards; Microsoft had not commented.
The move undercut a White House ceremony hours later honoring Satya Nadella and five other tech leaders as Trump celebrated a new "golden age" of science and AI.
That clash highlights a broader split inside the administration between relying on immigrant-founded tech leaders to drive AI growth and campaigning to curb immigration before the midterms.
Vance also said Stanford and MIT should be investigated for visa fraud, widening the crackdown beyond Microsoft as Trump courts voters worried about jobs, prices and fast-moving AI.
With tech giants blocked from green card sponsorships, will the industry offshore operations or finally hire locally?
Could the unprecedented federal crackdown on foreign tech labor inadvertently trigger a massive talent exodus to rival nations?
October 2026 PERM Freeze: Trump Administration Halts Green Card Sponsorship for Major Tech and IT Firms
Overview
On October 8, 2026, the Trump administration suspended major tech and IT outsourcing companies—including Microsoft, Adobe, and several Indian firms—from the PERM program, freezing their ability to sponsor foreign workers for green cards. This action, triggered by allegations of systemic fraud and high-profile layoffs, immediately halted new and pending applications, severely disrupting the lives of thousands of Indian professionals and raising compliance costs for their employers. As companies pivot to local hiring and face talent retention risks, new rules like steep H-1B fees and higher wage requirements make offshore hiring unsustainable, driving skilled workers and jobs away from the U.S. and reshaping the global talent landscape.