US Halts Green Card Filings for Major Tech Firms Including Microsoft and Adobe

The Trump administration announced on Thursday the suspension of several major technology companies, including Microsoft and Adobe, from a federal program that facilitates permanent residency (green cards) for foreign workers. The move targets the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM), which serves as a legal pathway for international employees to obtain permanent work status in the United States.

US Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling confirmed the suspensions, accusing the firms of abusing the system. In addition to Microsoft and Adobe, the halt applies to large IT outsourcing corporations such as Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini. Sonderling stated that these actions are part of ongoing federal investigations into the practices of these companies.

Vice President JD Vance strongly criticized the utilization of the PERM system by corporations like Microsoft. He argued that companies exploit the requirement to advertise jobs domestically by posting ads in local newspapers and then using the lack of responses to justify hiring foreign labor. Vance characterized this practice as replacing American workers with what he described as “foreign indentured servants,” claiming Microsoft was among the most frequent users of the program.

The political pressure on Microsoft arrived just hours before President Donald Trump scheduled to present Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation on October 8. In response to the allegations, Microsoft released a statement asserting that the majority of its workforce consists of Americans. The company emphasized that a significant portion of its H-1B filings pertains to the status adjustments of individuals already residing in the US.

“We pay our employees some of the highest compensation in the tech sector, and our wages are among the highest of all H-1B filings,” the company stated. According to Microsoft’s 2025 annual report, the firm employs 125,000 workers in the United States and 103,000 international employees.

This development aligns with the broader Trump administration strategy to restrict immigration, including previous measures such as a $100,000 fee increase for H-1B visa applications. Critics have long argued that the H-1B program, designed for skilled workers, has been used to displace American employees in favor of lower-cost foreign labor.

The suspension has drawn particular attention from Indian media outlets, given that several of the affected firms are Indian-owned or rely heavily on thousands of Indian professionals who have relocated to the country. Microsoft expressed readiness to provide the administration with additional information regarding its hiring practices.