US freezes green card applications from Microsoft, major IT firms over alleged fraud

The Trump administration froze green-card filings by Microsoft, Adobe and major IT outsourcers in Washington on Thursday and opened probes into nine universities. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the suspension covers new and pending PERM applications involving seven named companies, while Vice President JD Vance accused firms of abusing skilled-worker programs. The university investigations will examine alleged visa misuse, foreign influence and financial relationships in federally funded research.

Sonderling said the companies covered by the suspension had sought almost three million foreign workers since 2009, receiving more than 230,000 H-1B approvals and over 100,000 permanent labor certifications.

Microsoft said about 80 percent of its H-1B applications in the last fiscal year involved extensions or status changes for existing employees rather than new hires.

Microsoft said in July that it would cut 4,800 jobs, equivalent to about 2.1 percent of its global workforce.

The nine universities under investigation include Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Sarah Spreitzer of the American Council on Education said international students historically spent $40 billion annually in the United States.

Published Oct 9, 2026 12:40 am KST

Updated Oct 9, 2026 3:28 am KST

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) administer the Oath of Allegiance to America's newest citizens during a special naturalization ceremony at Everglades National Park, Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center in Homestead, Fla., Jul. 3, 2019. Miami Herald via AP-Yonhap

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration froze on Thursday some green-card filings by Microsoft, Adobe and major IT outsourcers and opened probes into nine top universities, widening a visa crackdown it says targets fraud and protects American jobs.

The twin actions mark the broadest strike yet against skilled-worker immigration programs — potentially cutting off a common path to permanent residency for foreign tech workers — while putting some of the country's top research universities on notice.

"There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused the system more than Microsoft," Vice President JD Vance said. He said the company laid off 6,000 American workers last year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B temporary worker visas and nearly 3,000 green cards.

The announcement about the permanent labor certification process — PERM — came hours before Trump was due to give Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Under PERM, required for most employment-based green cards, employers must show that hiring a foreign worker will not harm US workers' wages or job opportunities.

Microsoft is the largest filer of PERM applications, according to data from the US labor department.

The company said in a statement that about 80 percent of the H-1B applications it filed in the last fiscal year were to extend or change the status of current employees, not to hire new workers. In July, the company said it would cut 4,800 jobs, or about 2.1 percent of its global workforce.

Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the suspension would also cover Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini. "We will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labor certification applications involving these companies," Sonderling said.

He said these companies had since 2009 sought almost three million foreign workers, and had received over 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labor certifications.

Amazon.com was the largest employer of approved H-1B beneficiaries in fiscal 2026, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Apple and Microsoft, according to US immigration data.

Vance said the suspensions would last "as long as it needs to," adding that the administration wants the companies to change how they hire. He said some companies post ineffective job ads, then cite a lack of applicants to justify hiring lower-paid foreign workers.

Microsoft said in its statement that it pays its H-1B employees the same as any other employees doing comparable work.

“The immediate financial impact on major technology companies may be relatively limited at this moment, but the longer-term implications for innovation and competitiveness could be much more significant," said Ken Mahoney, CEO of Mahoney Asset Management.

Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Wipro and Capgemini did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Tata Consultancy Services declined to comment.

Nasscom, India's IT industry body, said Indian tech companies in the US had significantly reduced their reliance on H-1B visas, and relatively few of their workers sought green cards through the PERM process.

The suspensions are the latest in a series of steps against skilled-worker programs. In September last year, the Labor Department launched an enforcement drive called "Project Firewall" as a White House proclamation imposed a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions for workers hired from abroad.

During President Donald Trump's second term, companies have faced growing pressure to keep jobs and production in the United States rather than move them overseas.

The action comes despite closer ties between the administration and tech leaders, who are lobbying for lighter AI regulation.

Universities under scrutiny

Vance also said nine universities, including Harvard, Yale and Stanford, would be investigated for what the administration called the misuse of exchange-visitor visas to undercut American wages.

The nine schools also include Brown and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Labor Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito said subpoenas had already been served.

D'Esposito said investigators would examine whether foreign influence, improper financial relationships or visa abuse were compromising federally funded research.

“It could have an enormous economic impact on the whole US economy,” said Sarah Spreitzer, a vice president at the American Council on Education, which represents college and university presidents. International students historically spent $40 billion a year while in the US, she said.

The probe deepens the administration's long-running fight with Harvard over foreign students. Last year, the Department of Homeland Security subpoenaed the university over alleged misconduct by international students and its compliance with immigration law. Harvard called that subpoena "unfounded retribution" but said it would comply as far as the law requires.

周四，特朗普政府冻结了微软、Adobe以及华盛顿主要IT外包公司的绿卡申请，并对九所大学展开调查。劳工部长基思·桑德林表示，此次暂停涵盖了七家被点名公司的新申请和待处理的PERM申请，而副总统JD·万斯则指责这些公司滥用技术工人项目。对大学的调查将审查涉嫌签证滥用、外国干预以及联邦资助研究中的财务关系等问题。

Sonderling 表示，自 2009 年以来，受暂停令约束的公司已寻求雇用近 300 万名外国工人，获得了超过 23 万份 H-1B 签证批准和超过 10 万份永久劳工证。

微软表示，在上一个财政年度，其 H-1B 申请中约有 80% 涉及现有员工的延期或身份变更，而不是新员工的招聘。

微软在7月份表示，将裁员4800人，约占其全球员工总数的2.1%。

正在接受调查的九所大学包括哈佛大学、耶鲁大学、斯坦福大学、布朗大学和麻省理工学院。

美国教育委员会的莎拉·斯普雷策表示，国际学生历来每年在美国消费 400 亿美元。

发布于2026年10月9日凌晨12:40（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月9日凌晨3:28（韩国标准时间）

2019年7月3日，美国公民及移民服务局（USCIS）在佛罗里达州霍姆斯特德市大沼泽地国家公园的欧内斯特·F·科游客中心举行入籍仪式，为新入籍的美国公民主持效忠宣誓。图片来源：迈阿密先驱报（美联社/韩联社）

华盛顿——特朗普政府周四冻结了微软、Adobe 和一些主要 IT 外包商的绿卡申请，并对九所顶尖大学展开调查，扩大了其声称旨在打击欺诈和保护美国就业的签证打击行动。

这两项行动标志着迄今为止针对技术工人移民计划的最广泛打击——可能会切断外国科技工作者获得永久居留权的共同途径——同时也向该国一些顶尖研究型大学发出了警告。

“不幸的是，在美国，没有哪家公司比微软更滥用制度，”副总裁JD Vance说道。他表示，该公司去年裁掉了6000名美国员工，同时却获得了6300份H-1B临时工作签证和近3000张绿卡。

就在特朗普即将向微软首席执行官萨蒂亚·纳德拉颁发国家技术与创新奖章的几个小时前，有关永久劳工证申请流程（PERM）的公告发布了。根据PERM流程（大多数基于就业的绿卡申请的必要条件），雇主必须证明雇用外国工人不会损害美国工人的工资或就业机会。

根据美国劳工部的数据，微软是PERM申请的最大提交者。

该公司在一份声明中表示，上个财年提交的H-1B签证申请中，约80%是为了延长或变更现有员工的身份，而非招聘新员工。今年7月，该公司宣布将裁员4800人，约占其全球员工总数的2.1%。

劳工部长基思·桑德林表示，此次暂停令还将涵盖高知特（Cognizant）、印孚瑟斯（Infosys）、塔塔咨询服务公司（Tata Consultancy Services）、威普罗（Wipro）、HCL科技公司和凯捷（Capgemini）。桑德林说：“我们将不再接受或处理任何涉及这些公司的新永久劳工认证申请。”

他表示，自 2009 年以来，这些公司已寻求近 300 万外国工人，并已获得超过 23 万份 H-1B 签证批准和超过 10 万份永久劳工证。

根据美国移民数据，亚马逊是 2026 财年获得 H-1B 签证受益人的最大雇主，其次是塔塔咨询服务公司、印孚瑟斯、苹果和微软。

万斯表示，暂停令将“持续到必要为止”，并补充说，政府希望这些公司改变招聘方式。他指出，一些公司发布无效的招聘广告，然后以缺乏应聘者为由，为雇用低薪外国工人辩护。

微软在声明中表示，公司向持有 H-1B 签证的员工支付的薪酬与其他从事类似工作的员工相同。

“目前，对大型科技公司的直接财务影响可能相对有限，但对创新和竞争力的长期影响可能更为显著，”Mahoney Asset Management 首席执行官 Ken Mahoney 表示。

Adobe、Cognizant、Infosys、HCL Technologies、Wipro 和 Capgemini 均未立即回应置评请求。塔塔咨询服务公司拒绝置评。

印度IT行业协会Nasscom表示，在美印度科技公司已大幅减少对H-1B签证的依赖，而且通过PERM流程申请绿卡的员工相对较少。

这些暂停措施是针对技术工人项目的一系列举措中的最新一项。去年9月，劳工部启动了一项名为“防火墙计划”的执法行动，此前白宫发布公告，对从国外雇佣的新H-1B签证申请征收一次性10万美元的费用。

在唐纳德·特朗普总统的第二个任期内，各公司面临着越来越大的压力，需要将工作岗位和生产留在美国，而不是转移到海外。

尽管政府与科技巨头之间的联系日益紧密，后者正在游说放宽人工智能监管，但政府仍然采取了这一行动。

大学正受到审查

万斯还表示，包括哈佛大学、耶鲁大学和斯坦福大学在内的九所大学将因政府所称的滥用交流访问学者签证来压低美国人工资的行为而受到调查。

这九所学校还包括布朗大学和麻省理工学院。劳工监察长安东尼·德埃斯波西托表示，传票已经送达。

德斯波西托表示，调查人员将审查外国势力影响、不正当的财务关系或签证滥用是否损害了联邦政府资助的研究。

“这可能会对整个美国经济产生巨大的影响，”代表高校校长的美国教育委员会副主席萨拉·斯普雷策表示。她说，国际学生历来每年在美国消费400亿美元。

此次调查加剧了美国政府与哈佛大学之间关于留学生问题的长期争端。去年，国土安全部就国际学生涉嫌不当行为以及哈佛大学遵守移民法的情况向其发出传票。哈佛大学称该传票是“毫无根据的报复”，但表示将在法律要求的范围内予以配合。