To place this issue in perspective it helps to recognize that Microsoft is among the largest sponsors of H-1B visas. At the Associated Press Seung Min Kim, Rebecca Santana, and Barbara Ortutay report:
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration announced Thursday it was suspending Microsoft and several other firms from a program allowing foreign workers to apply for green cards as it also lashed out at universities that bring international students to the U.S. on exchange programs.
The announcement by Vice President JD Vance marks the latest swing from the Trump administration at employers and universities that welcome foreign students and workers into the country.
Such programs have frequently been targeted by some Trump supporters who argue they undercut American students and workers. Supporters say they allow the U.S. to attract the best talent from around the world and fill important hiring gaps.
The announced action freezes new and pending applications under PERM, the permanent labor certification program used for employment-based green cards. PERM requires a finding that sufficient qualified and available U.S. workers cannot be found. The form of fraud alleged by the Trump Administration is advertising the jobs in small town newspapers so they can preferentially rely on H-1B visa holders rather than domestic workers. That’s been going on for decades. I first became aware of this strategy for fifty years ago.
Other companies that sponsor large numbers of H-1B visas include Amazon (18,000), Meta (6,200), TCS (6,100), and Apple (4,600).
I fully anticipate Microsoft’s appealing this particular decision.
IMO stricter enforcement of H-1B visa sponsorship is long overdue but suspending Microsoft’s ability to sponsor is a more aggressive form of enforcement than I anticipated. I would be satisfied merely requiring companies to report the labor performed by contractors offshore to deduct those expenses for tax purposes.
