Microsoft, Adobe and Six IT Firms Suspended From PERM Green Card Program

On October 8, 2026, Vice President JD Vance announced that the Trump administration is suspending Microsoft and Adobe from the Permanent Labor Certification program, known as PERM. Six large IT outsourcing companies were also named. Because this affects employers and workers in the green card process, we want to explain it clearly. What is PERM? The program is run by the Department of Labor, not USCIS. It allows a company to hire foreign workers to live permanently in America. It is generally the first step an employer takes when sponsoring a foreign worker for an employment-based green card. Who is affected? Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini will no longer be able to submit new or have pending applications processed through the Permanent Labor Certification Program. Reports list the same eight names, so you can check your employer against them. Why is this happening? The administration says employers must certify that a foreign worker has skills that American workers cannot fill. The administration alleges those certifications are false when companies use the program to replace U.S. workers with lower-paid foreign employees. Sonderling cited alleged abuse of the worker-visa system and said multiple federal investigations are ongoing. Microsoft disputes these claims. The company said that about 80 percent of its roughly 6,000 H-1B applications in the last fiscal year were to extend or change the status of employees who already worked there. The company also said the rest were for new hires who were already legally in the U.S. How long will it last? Vance said the suspensions will remain "as long as it needs to", and that the administration has tools to extend them. What this does not do: While the suspension blocks that route to permanent residency, it does not shut down the H-1B program or automatically cancel existing workers' visas. Reports also say the action does not cancel PERM cases that were already filed. However, the reports we reviewed do not explain how the suspension affects later green card steps, such as employer petitions or adjustment of status filings with USCIS. Please do not assume anything until you get official guidance for your own case. What this means for you: If your employer is one of the named companies, or your green card depends on a PERM case with one of them, talk to an immigration attorney soon. Ask about your current status, your visa dates and any job or travel plans that could be affected. If your employer is not on this list, this announcement does not, based on what we have confirmed, directly change your case. Still, keep copies of every notice, receipt and PERM document you have, and keep them in one safe place. For updates, look for announcements from the Department of Labor and USCIS on their official websites. News reports and social media posts can be incomplete or change quickly, so check them against official sources before you act. This article is general information, not legal advice. Sources: Vance suspends Microsoft from a green card program to crack down on alleged fraud - ABC News: https://abcnews.com/Politics/vance-suspends-microsoft-green-card-program-crack-alleged/story?id=137100899 Trump's foreign worker crackdown comes for Microsoft, Adobe, IT firms - Axios: https://www.axios.com/2026/10/08/trumps-foreign-worker-crackdown-comes-for-microsoft-adobe-it-firms Microsoft, Adobe blocked from green-card program amid visa fraud crackdown - WPDE (TNND): https://wpde.com/news/nation-world/vice-president-jd-vance-to-unveil-h-1b-foreign-work-visa-j-1-abuse-findings-department-of-labor-justice-protect-american-workers-human-trafficking-fraud Microsoft and Adobe hit with green-card suspensions as Vance accuses tech firms of sidelining American workers - TechSpot: https://www.techspot.com/news/114154-microsoft-adobe-hit-green-card-suspensions-vance-accuses.html Photo: Beth Stevenson on Unsplash