US suspends Microsoft, Adobe and others from green card labor certification program

The US government said on Thursday that it is suspending Microsoft, Adobe and several other companies from the permanent labor certification program. Employers use this program as a step toward sponsoring skilled foreign workers for employment-based green cards, which grant permanent residency.

Vice President JD Vance announced Microsoft's suspension at a press conference. Adobe, Cognizant and Infosys are also among the suspended companies. US officials cited alleged fraud in the program as the grounds for the suspensions.

Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said in a statement that the Labor Department will not accept new applications or process pending ones involving these companies. The Guardian quoted the statement: "We will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labor certification applications involving these companies."

Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to The Guardian and The Verge.

The Guardian reported that the US Labor Department also said Adobe had been similarly suspended. The South China Morning Post cited officials as saying that Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini will also be suspended.

The Guardian reported that Microsoft applied for H-1B visas for nearly 3,700 workers in 2026. That makes it the fifth-largest employer of H-1B workers. Amazon topped the list with more than 9,300 petitions this year. The Verge reported that the suspensions are part of a broader immigration crackdown by the Trump administration. That crackdown includes a recently announced price increase for H-1B visas.

What remains unclear

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include any response from the suspended companies. They do not describe how long the suspension will last or what happens to workers with pending applications. They do not cite a legal basis, an official finding or specific evidence of fraud beyond officials' statements. They do not include an official list of suspended companies. The figures cited by officials have not been independently verified in these reports.

What each side says

Vance said the program has become "rife" with fraud in recent years and that no company has abused it more than Microsoft, according to The Verge. According to The Verge, he said Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers last year and benefited from 6,300 H-1B visas and almost 3,000 green cards. The time frame for the visa figure is not clear. The Guardian quoted him as saying: "Our message to Microsoft is, you’re a great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers." He also said H-1B workers earn $20,000 less on average than US workers in the same role, according to The Guardian. The South China Morning Post reported that he said companies place job advertisements in low-visibility outlets and then cite the lack of response to justify hiring foreign workers.

Sonderling said Microsoft and Adobe received about 230,000 H-1B approvals and 100,000 permanent labor certifications since 2009, according to The Guardian. The Verge reported his figures as "over" those totals.

The National Immigration Forum, an immigration advocacy group, wrote in a September 2026 blog post that attracting global talent benefits the US economy. The post concerned proposed H-1B changes and was not a response to this announcement.

Analysis

The suspensions affect major technology and IT services employers that sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency. Officials present the move as a response to alleged fraud. Advocates of skilled immigration have argued that restrictive policies may weaken US competitiveness. Several outcomes are possible. The companies could contest the suspensions, negotiate changes to their hiring practices or wait for further guidance. Workers with pending applications may face uncertainty until officials explain how the suspension will be applied. Much depends on details the reports do not include. These include the legal basis, the duration, the full list of companies and any evidence the government presents to support its fraud allegations.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.