The administration of US President Donald Trump has suspended Microsoft, Adobe and several major information technology outsourcing companies from a key employment-based green card programme.
US Vice President JD Vance singled out Microsoft, alleging that the technology giant had laid off about 6,000 American workers while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards.
“You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants,” Vance said.
The US Department of Labor said it would stop accepting new applications and processing pending applications from the targeted companies as federal investigations into their use of employment-based immigration programmes continue.
The move represents a significant escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to tighten oversight of employment-based immigration and ensure that US workers are not displaced by foreign employees.
The administration has repeatedly pledged to strengthen protections for American workers and scrutinise companies’ use of H-1B visas.
