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- The Trump administration is cracking down on visa programs to 'protect American jobs'
- Multiple top US tech companies have been hit by an H-1B and green card suspension
- Nine top US universities have also been subject to a suspension on international applications
The Trump administration is continuing its efforts to protect American jobs and crackdown on fraud by suspending Microsoft and Adobe alongside several major IT outsourcers from the H-1B green-card program and opening probes into nine universities.
“There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused the system more than Microsoft,” Vice President JD Vance said.
Hours later, President Trump praised Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Elon Musk for their contributions to America. Nadella and Musk both previously held H-1B visas, and three other CEOs in attendance - praised by Trump - are immigrants.
Protecting American jobs
Vance has claimed Microsoft has laid off 6,000 American workers in 2025 while simultaneously taking on 6,300 H-1B temporary worker visas and almost 3,000 green cards.
To hire green-card workers, employers must file applications in line with the permanent labor certification (PERM), which requires employers to show the foreign hire will not hurt US jobs or wages. According to the US labor department Microsoft is the largest filer for PERM applications, filing more than twice the amount than the next largest tech company Apple.
Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies, and Capgemini have also been suspended. "We will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labor certification applications involving these companies," said Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling.
Sonderling added that these companies had collectively filed applications for almost three million workers, with over 230,000 H-1B visas approved and more than 100,000 permanent labour certifications received.
Vance also accused some companies of posting job ads designed to be ineffective so that companies could point to the lack of applicants as justification for hiring foreign workers for lower pay.
Microsoft hits back
Microsoft has responded to Vance’s statements, explaining that “of the approximately 6,000 H-1B visa applications we submitted in the last fiscal year, 80% percent were to extend or change the status of existing Microsoft employees.”
The company statement added that the remaining filings were for “individuals already legally in the United States who decided to come work for us,” that make up just 1% of the company’s US workforce. Microsoft added that it pays employees “some of the highest compensation in the tech sector, and our wages are among the highest of all H-1B filings.”
“Microsoft succeeds as a global technology leader by developing the world’s best technology workforce. We do this by strengthening this country’s talent pipeline, hiring American workers, and attracting the best talent from around the world,” the statement concluded.
Top universities in the firing line
Nine universities have also been caught up in the visa suspension, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Vance said an investigation is being launched to examine the misuse of exchange-visitor visas to undercut American wages, alongside investigations into whether foreign influence, improper financial relationships, and visas were abusing federally funded research.
Harvard has previously been targeted by the Trump administration over alleged misconduct by international students and alleged non-compliance with immigration law. The Department of Homeland Security subpoenaed the university to investigate these claims, which Harvard labeled "unfounded retribution".
According to Sarah Spreitzer, a vice president at the American Council on Education, “It could have an enormous economic impact on the whole US economy” (via Reuters) as international students spend around $40 billion a year while in the US.
Uncertainty over future university visa status could seriously affect international applications.
