US suspends Microsoft and Adobe from green card sponsorship programme

The US government has suspended Microsoft, Adobe and several major IT outsourcing firms from the primary programme used to sponsor foreign workers for green cards.

Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling announced on Thursday that the Department of Labor will stop accepting or processing new applications under its Permanent Labor Certification programme for a group of prominent technology employers.

The suspension targets some of the largest users of US foreign worker visas. Alongside Microsoft and Adobe, the ban covers IT consulting giants including Cognizant, Infosys, Capgemini, Tata, Wipro and HCL.

Why the companies are suspended

Sonderling said the decision to block Microsoft and Adobe was driven by "multiple active federal investigations" into the companies. The government did not immediately provide further details about the nature of those investigations.

The broader crackdown is part of a concerted push by the Trump administration targeting foreign hiring schemes ahead of the November midterm elections. The administration claims the policy is designed to protect local employment.

"Since 2009, just these companies alone have requested almost 3 million foreign workers," Sonderling said. "They've received over 230,000 H-1B visas approvals and over 100,000 permanent labour certifications. That's hundreds of thousands of jobs that were taken from American workers."

The case against Microsoft

Vice President JD Vance singled out Microsoft for criticism during a press conference on anti-fraud initiatives in Washington. Vance highlighted the 6,000 layoffs Microsoft made in 2025, claiming the company subsequently replaced those redundant workers with staff on H-1B visas.

Vance said the government would continue to support Microsoft but would "deny them the ability to apply for these permanent residencies" until the company proves it will put American workers first.

The announcement coincided with an awkward piece of timing. On the same day as the suspension, President Donald Trump was scheduled to award the National Medal of Science to Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella at the very same summit. Nadella, who moved to the US from India in 1988, joined the technology giant in 1992.

Microsoft and Adobe did not immediately comment on the suspensions.