The Trump administration has frozen some employment-based green card applications involving Microsoft, Adobe, and several major IT outsourcing companies as part of a wider crackdown on skilled-worker immigration.
The US Labor Department said it would stop accepting new PERM applications and pause pending cases involving Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies, and Capgemini.
Permanent Labor Certification, or PERM, is required for most employment-based green cards. Employers must show that hiring a foreign worker will not negatively affect the wages or job opportunities of US workers.
Microsoft is the largest filer of PERM applications, according to Labor Department data. Vice President JD Vance accused the company of abusing the system, saying it laid off 6,000 American workers last year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards.
Microsoft said around 80% of its H-1B filings in the last fiscal year were for extensions or status changes involving existing employees rather than new hires. It also said H-1B workers receive the same pay as employees doing comparable jobs.
The company separately announced in July that it would cut 4,800 jobs, or about 2.1% of its global workforce.
Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the affected companies had sought nearly three million foreign workers since 2009 and received more than 230,000 H-1B approvals and over 100,000 permanent labor certifications.
Amazon was the largest employer of approved H-1B beneficiaries in fiscal 2026, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Apple, and Microsoft.
Vance said the suspensions would remain in place for as long as necessary. He also alleged that some companies post ineffective job advertisements before claiming they cannot find suitable applicants and hiring lower-paid foreign workers.
The move follows a broader crackdown on skilled-worker programs. In September last year, the Labor Department launched Project Firewall, while the White House imposed a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions for workers hired from abroad.
The administration has also opened investigations into nine leading US universities over alleged misuse of exchange-visitor visas to undercut American wages.
The universities include Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Investigators will examine whether foreign influence, improper financial relationships, or visa abuse are affecting federally funded research, while subpoenas have already been served.
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