World News
US SUSPENDS MICROSOFT FROM GREEN CARD PROGRAM OVER ALLEGED VISA ABUSE
The US government has suspended Microsoft from a programme used by companies to help skilled foreign workers obtain permanent residency, accusing the ...
By Wavers News
US suspends Microsoft from green card programme over alleged visa abuse
Vice-President JD Vance announced the decision on Thursday as the Trump administration intensified its crackdown on employment-based immigration programmes. The action prevents Microsoft from submitting new applications under the programme and stops pending applications from being processed.
MICROSOFT ACCUSED OF REPLACING US WORKERS
Vance accused Microsoft of using the immigration system in a way that disadvantages American employees.
He said the company laid off about 6,000 US workers last year while obtaining approximately 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards for foreign workers.
Vance argued that the figures showed a pattern in which foreign workers were being brought into positions that could otherwise be filled by Americans. Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, Washington, had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
GREEN CARD APPLICATIONS FROZEN
The action concerns the Permanent Labor Certification, or PERM, programme, which is generally required before employers can sponsor foreign workers for many employment-based green cards.
Under the process, employers must demonstrate that there are no qualified, willing and available US workers for the relevant position and that hiring the foreign worker will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of American workers.
Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the government would not accept new applications or process pending permanent labour certification applications involving the companies targeted by the administration.
OTHER MAJOR TECHNOLOGY FIRMS ALSO TARGETED
The suspension extends beyond Microsoft.
Adobe and several major information technology outsourcing companies, including Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini, have also been suspended from the programme.
The administration said the companies were being targeted as part of a broader effort to investigate alleged misuse of employment-based visa programmes and protect American jobs.
NINE UNIVERSITIES FACE VISA INVESTIGATIONS
The administration also announced investigations involving nine major US universities over alleged misuse of the J-1 exchange visitor visa programme.
The institutions named include Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, MIT, the University of Pittsburgh, UC Davis, Caltech and Arizona State University.
Officials said they would examine whether the visa system was being used to reduce labour costs or whether other forms of visa abuse and improper foreign influence were involved. Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito said subpoenas had already been issued.
DECISION COMES AS TRUMP PREPARES TO HONOUR MICROSOFT CEO
The action against Microsoft came on the same day President Donald Trump was scheduled to present the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Nadella was among several technology leaders being recognised by the administration for contributions to science, technology and innovation.
The timing highlighted the tension between the administration's efforts to strengthen ties with the technology industry and its increasingly restrictive approach to skilled-worker immigration.
The suspension represents a significant escalation in the administration's efforts to restrict what it considers abuse of the H-1B and employment-based immigration systems, potentially affecting the path to permanent residency for foreign technology workers employed by the targeted companies.