Microsoft and Other Firms Suspended from Visa Programs
Vice President JD Vance announced that Microsoft and several companies have been suspended from a program that allows temporary H-1B visa holders to seek permanent residency in the United States.
The Trump administration had previously criticized firms for misusing the H-1B visa program, suggesting that they replaced American workers with foreign employees for lucrative positions.
Vance expressed at a press conference, “You’re a great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers. You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants.”
Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling revealed that several companies, including Microsoft, Adobe, and Cognizant, are barred from accessing the Permanent Labor Certification Program, which allows employers to sponsor H-1B visa holders.
Since 2009, these firms have requested almost three million foreign workers and acquired over 230,000 H-1B visa approvals alongside more than 100,000 permanent labor certifications.
For instance, Microsoft reportedly laid off 6,000 American workers the previous year while securing 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards for foreign workers.
Vance mentioned that Microsoft will remain suspended from the program “until they show that they are going to get serious about putting American workers first.”
Additionally, the administration has initiated investigations into alleged visa misuse at elite universities including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, among others.
No institutions will receive leniency simply because of their prestige, according to Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito.
In response, Microsoft issued a statement asserting that the majority of their H-1B applications from the last fiscal year involved individuals already residing in the U.S. or were re-applications for current employees. They reiterated their commitment to the American workforce, noting that most Microsoft employees in the country are American.
They defended their H-1B petitions, stating they adhere to the strict criteria of this visa category, paying their employees among the highest salaries in the tech industry and ensuring equal compensation for H-1B workers compared to others in similar roles.
