The tech green-card program under attack from Trump
MSFT•The US government suspended Microsoft, Adobe and several major IT firms from the PERM green-card program, saying it would not accept new applications or process pending ones for those companies. Officials alleged the program was used to replace American workers with cheaper foreign workers.
1. PERM applications suspended
The US government said it is suspending Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini from the Permanent Labor Certification program. For the affected companies, the government will not accept new PERM applications or process pending ones.
2. Path to permanent residency
PERM allows qualified US employers to sponsor a foreign worker for permanent residency. The Labor Department must certify that qualified and available US workers are insufficient for a job and that hiring the foreign worker will not affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed Americans. Meta, Amazon and Alphabet’s Google remain free to participate.
3. Administration cites alleged fraud
Senior US officials said companies have used the program to replace American workers with cheaper foreign workers. The move extends the Trump administration’s crackdown on skilled foreign labor; it follows a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions that has been blocked by federal court orders. The freeze does not appear to directly affect current H-1B visa holders.
