Trump administration says Microsoft ‘abused’ worker visa program and is cutting off access

is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.

The Trump administration is suspending some tech companies, including Microsoft, from an immigration program that lets an employer hire foreign workers that can reside permanently in the US, as reported by Reuters.

In a press conference, Vice President JD Vance claimed the permanent labor certification program — intended for use when there aren’t “sufficient” US workers available to do a job — has become “rife” with fraud over the “past several years,” and that no company has “abused” the system more than Microsoft. “Our message to Microsoft is: you’re a great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers.”

The administration is also suspending companies including Adobe, Cognizant, and Infosys. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling claims Microsoft and Adobe “requested almost 3 million foreign workers,” received “over 230,000 H-1B visa approvals,” and “over 100,000 permanent labor certifications.” Vance also said Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers last year and “benefited” from 6,300 H-1B visas and “almost 3,000 green cards.”

Microsoft didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. The suspensions are part of a broader crackdown on immigration from the Trump administration, including its recently-announced price hike on H-1B visas that are popular with Big Tech companies.

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