US bars Microsoft, Adobe, and major IT firms from green card program for skilled foreign workers

The Trump administration is suspending Microsoft, Adobe, and several other technology companies from a program that helps skilled foreign workers obtain permanent residency in the United States, accusing the companies of fraud.

“Our ​message to Microsoft is: You’re a great American company, ​but you’ve got to hire great American workers,” U.S. ⁠Vice President JD Vance said in a news conference on Thursday, Reuters reported.

The other firms being suspended from the program include Capgemini, Cognizant, HCL, Infosys, Tata, and Wipro. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said the government would not accept any new or pending permanent ​labor certification applications involving these companies.

H-1B visas are designed for highly skilled positions that employers may struggle to fill with qualified U.S. workers. Tech companies are among the largest users of the program, with nearly three-quarters of approved visas going to workers from India, according to The Associated Press.

Vance also said the administration would investigate nine universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, over allegations they’re abusing a program that allows international students to come to the U.S. and were using the program to undermine wages for American workers.

Microsoft and Adobe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.