Trump Administration Suspends Microsoft, Adobe from US Green Card Programme

The Trump administration has suspended Microsoft, Adobe and several major IT companies from a US labour certification programme that allows employers to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency, Vice President JD Vance announced.

Speaking at a press conference, Vance said the administration wanted technology companies to invest in the United States while prioritising American workers for employment opportunities.

“We want people to invest in America, especially in American technology,” Vance said, emphasising that US companies should not replace domestic employees with foreign workers.

Directly addressing Microsoft, the vice president said, “You are a great American company, but you should hire great American workers.”

He criticised the practice of laying off American employees while recruiting foreign workers, arguing that the country’s immigration and employment systems had allowed such practices to continue for too long.

Microsoft Faces Criticism Over Layoffs and Foreign Hiring

Vance specifically targeted Microsoft over its employment practices, pointing to the company’s decision to lay off approximately 6,000 workers last year.

According to the vice president, Microsoft simultaneously benefited from 6,300 H-1B visas and approximately 3,000 employment-based green cards.

Vance argued that these figures suggested the company had effectively hired around one and a half foreign workers for every American employee laid off.

He described the arrangement as a “disgraceful system” that had been allowed to operate in the United States for far too long.

Major Technology Companies Affected

Apart from Microsoft and Adobe, the administration’s decision also affects several leading international IT outsourcing companies.

These include Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCL and Capgemini.

The companies have been suspended from the Permanent Labor Certification Programme, commonly known as PERM, which operates under the US Department of Labor.

The programme enables American employers to seek certification for hiring foreign workers for permanent positions, typically serving as an initial step towards obtaining an employer-sponsored green card.

How PERM Differs from H-1B Visas

The Permanent Labor Certification Programme is separate from the H-1B visa system, which allows US employers to recruit highly skilled foreign professionals for temporary employment.

H-1B visas are widely used by technology companies to employ workers in specialised occupations, including software engineering, information technology and other technical fields.

In contrast, the PERM process is generally associated with permanent employment and applications for employment-based green cards.

The administration’s latest decision specifically concerns the permanent labour certification process rather than a blanket suspension of H-1B visas.

The move reflects the Trump administration’s broader efforts to prioritise domestic employment and increase scrutiny of companies recruiting foreign workers.

Trump to Honour Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

Despite the administration’s criticism of Microsoft, President Donald Trump is scheduled to honour the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella, at the White House on Thursday.

Nadella is expected to receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, one of the United States’ highest honours recognising technological achievements and contributions to innovation.

The development comes as the administration intensifies pressure on major technology companies to prioritise American employment while maintaining its stated commitment to technological investment and innovation.