The Trump administration has suspended Microsoft from the PERM green card programme, blocking new applications and those already pending. The move comes despite Satya Nadella receiving a top US technology honour the same day.
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01Summary
- 01Vice President JD Vance announced on 8 October that Microsoft, Adobe and six IT services firms were suspended from the Labour Department’s PERM programme.
- 02The Labour Department said it will not accept new PERM applications from the eight companies or process applications already in the pipeline.
- 03Microsoft was the programme’s biggest user, with 3,161 applications ruled on in fiscal 2025, according to a GeekWire analysis.
- 04Vance said Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers last year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B visas and almost 3,000 green cards.
- 05Microsoft said about 80% of its roughly 6,000 H-1B filings last fiscal year were to extend or change existing employees’ status, and that the remaining filings were for people already in the US.
02Why it matters
The decision could make it harder for Microsoft and other affected firms to convert foreign-born workers into permanent residents. It also adds pressure to a major source of tech hiring and retention in the United States.
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