Overview
- The Labor Department and Vice President J.D. Vance announced Thursday that Microsoft, Adobe and several large IT outsourcers will be excluded from filing employer-sponsored H‑1B‑PERM petitions that lead to U.S. Green Cards.
- Officials said the decision followed task‑force investigations and accused firms of using H‑1B and PERM filings in ways that harmed U.S. workers, including specific claims about Microsoft’s layoffs and visa applications.
- Named outsourcing firms affected include Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini, a move that will directly alter immigration routes used by many Indian nationals who receive the bulk of H‑1B approvals.
- The exclusion pauses a common path for temporary H‑1B holders to seek permanent residence by requiring employers to recruit U.S. workers first and then apply for PERM labor certifications.
- The action is part of a wider administration push tightening multiple visa channels and is likely to prompt legal challenges, disrupt hiring and immigration plans for affected employees, and reshape tech-sector workforce planning.