US Suspends Microsoft and Major IT Firms from Green Card Programme Over Alleged Fraud

Key facts

• The US government is suspending Microsoft, Adobe and several large IT firms from a programme that allows skilled foreign workers to gain permanent residency.
• Senior US officials cited alleged fraud and an effort to push companies to hire more Americans.
• IT firms including Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini will also be suspended from the programme, officials say.
• US Vice-President J.D. Vance said on Thursday: "Our message to Microsoft is: You're a great American company, but you've got to hire great American workers."
• Vance said the programme required companies to advertise jobs in the US before applying to the Department of Labour to show they needed to give a foreign worker a green card because of a lack of American staff.
• Vance said: "They'll put an advertisement in a small-town newspaper. They'll go out there and say that 'We have advertised for a position with our company, and nobody is responding to it'. And they will use that lack of response to then go and replace American workers with what is effectively foreign indentured servants."
• The suspension targets a programme that allows skilled foreign workers to gain permanent residency.
• The announcement was made by senior US officials.