The White House has barred Microsoft and several other technology firms from hiring skilled international workers on a permanent basis through the H-1B visa program. Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft and other companies of committing fraud in their use of the H-1B visa program and the process for workers from abroad to become permanent US residents. Vance claimed that Microsoft has been replacing American workers with foreign workers, referring to them as 'foreign indentured servants.' Microsoft stated that most of the H-1B visas filed in the last financial year were for existing employees, who are compensated equally to local staff. Vance also made similar accusations against companies including Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling announced that the US government would not process any new or pending Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM) applications from Microsoft or the seven other companies. Sonderling described these companies as 'visa mills' that are 'flooding' the US with foreign workers. The H-1B visa program has a cap of 85,000 visas per year. A Microsoft spokeswoman noted that the majority of their employees in the US are American, and that 80% of their H-1B filings were for current employees rather than new hires. The median salary for an H-1B worker at Microsoft is reported to be $155,000. On the same day, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella received a national medal of technology and innovation from President Donald Trump. Vance emphasized the need for Microsoft to hire American workers instead of replacing them with foreign workers, highlighting the precarious situation of H-1B workers who must leave the US if they lose their job. The H-1B visa program has been utilized by many major tech firms for decades to hire highly skilled workers that are not available domestically. In the last fiscal year, the US Department of Labor certified over 130,000 PERM applications across ten business categories.
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White House Blocks Microsoft from Hiring Skilled International Workers
The White House has prohibited Microsoft and several other tech companies from hiring skilled international workers through the H-1B visa program. Vice President JD Vance accused these companies of fraud and replacing American workers with foreign workers. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling stated that the government would not process new or pending PERM applications from these companies, while Microsoft defended its hiring practices.
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White House blocks Microsoft from foreign worker hiring program
White House Blocks Microsoft from Hiring Skilled International Workers