The Trump administration will no longer allow Microsoft and other tech companies to participate in a program that allows H-1B visa holders to apply for green cards, one of the most common pathways for skilled foreign workers seeking permanent residency in the United States.
\n\nIn addition to Microsoft, administration officials said on Thursday that software giant Adobe and IT companies including Cognizant, Infosys, and Tata will be suspended from the PERM program, the Labor Department's permanent labor certification program. PERM is a key step for H-1B visa holders to gain permanent residency, requiring employers to prove that there are no American workers who would be suitable for the applicant's permanent job opportunity.
\n\nSecretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said that the agency is investigating whether these companies committed fraud, undercutting American workers by hiring foreign employees.
\n\nVice President JD Vance, meanwhile, singled out Microsoft. “There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused this system more than Microsoft,” Vance said during a press conference.
\n\nIn a statement provided by Microsoft representative Kaitlin Haskins, the company said it “only files H-1B petitions for those who meet the rigorous standards of this visa category," adding that it develops its…
Original source: https://www.wired.com/