US Suspends Visa Program for Tech Firms Including Microsoft

The Trump administration is suspending a key immigration program for big tech while also investigating nine elite universities including Harvard, MIT, and Stanford over their use of foreign exchange visas. Vice President JD Vance announced an indefinite suspension of the permanent labor certification program, which basically allows employers to sponsor foreign workers for green cards. But he singled out Microsoft and other tech firms like Adobe and Infosys um and alleged that those companies are making what he called illegitimate representations to import foreign talent instead of hiring Americans. >> There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused this system more than Microsoft. Thanks to an ongoing investigation, we have decided to suspend the PRA program for Microsoft, which means they will no longer be able to apply uh their those they'll never no longer be able to take those H-1Bs and apply for permanent resident status within the United States of America. The crackdown hits a really key talent pipeline for Silicon Valley um and for higher education where those tech giants and research institutions rely heavily are on foreign workers and scholars. The reaction from business groups is a warning that those restrictions threaten labor supply and will hit economic growth. and it highlights this kind of like growing rift between the administration and the tech sector over the issue of legal immigration. Vance is urging the industry to hire more American citizens. Um and he states that the administration wants American tech to thrive by what he calls empowering um fellow Americans in that process. us.