US suspends green card access for Microsoft and several IT firms

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it is suspending several tech firms, including Microsoft, from the PERM green card program for H-1B visa holders, Vice President JD Vance said yesterday.

The Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) process allows US employers to sponsor eligible foreign employees for employment-based green cards.

Vance accused Microsoft of replacing American workers with foreign laborers.

According to the Labor Department, nearly 33% of all approved applications in 2025 went toward software developers and computer systems analyst roles, with Microsoft standing as the top filer.

Microsoft maintained that most applications involved workers already legally residing in the US and that they constituted only 1% of its American workforce.

Advocates maintain that the H-1B program contributes to innovation and economic competitiveness by allowing companies to hire skilled professionals for positions that require expertise not readily available in the labor market.

Separately, Vance also announced opening fraud investigations into nine top universities, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, and MIT, over alleged misuse of exchange-visitor visas.

Higher education experts warn the university probes threaten international students, who contribute $40 billion annually to the US economy.