US suspends Microsoft, Adobe and 6 IT firms from key green card certification program

The Trump administration has suspended major tech firms, including Microsoft, Adobe and Cognizant, from a US labor certification program used by employers seeking permanent residency for foreign workers, blocking new applications and halting the processing of pending cases.

US Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling announced the restrictions on Thursday, targeting eight companies, which also include Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini.

As per the announcement, the Department of Labor will no longer accept new applications or process pending cases under the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) program involving these eight companies. The program is a key step for employers sponsoring foreign workers for employment-based green cards.

The administration said the companies had collectively sought nearly 3 million foreign workers since 2009, receiving more than 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labor certifications.

Eight technology companies suspended

“We will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labor certification applications involving these companies,” Sonderling said.

The suspension affects a process through which US employers must demonstrate that hiring a foreign worker will not adversely affect wages or job opportunities for American workers.

It does not amount to a blanket ban on H-1B visas, which allow US companies to employ qualified foreign workers in specialized occupations. However, it could disrupt the route to permanent residency for employees already working in the U.S.

Vice President JD Vance, who was also present at the White House briefing, accused Microsoft of relying on foreign workers while cutting American jobs. He pointed to the company’s layoffs in 2025 and claimed it had replaced US employees with H-1B visa holders.

“There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused the system more than Microsoft,” Vance said at the White House press conference on immigration and visa fraud.

Reacting to the suspension, Microsoftrejected the suggestion that its hiring practices disadvantaged American workers. The company said approximately 80 percent of the H-1B applications it submitted during its last fiscal year involved extensions or status changes for existing employees.

Microsoft also said it pays H-1B employees the same as other workers performing comparable jobs and that its wages rank among the highest in the visa program.

Green card applications halted

The restrictions could affect technology workers whose employers have begun or are preparing employment-based green card applications.

Vance said the suspensions would remain in place “as long as it needs to,” with the administration seeking changes to the companies’ hiring practices.

The announcement comes amid broader federal scrutiny of employment-based immigration programs. In September 2025, the administration introduced a $100,000 fee on certain new H-1B petitions for workers hired from abroad.

During the same briefing, the administration also announced investigations into nine universities, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, over alleged misuse of exchange-visitor visas. Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito said subpoenas had already been served.

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/culture/us-suspends-microsoft-adobe-green-card-program