Trump administration suspends Microsoft and other firms from PERM green-card process
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The Facts
- The Trump administration suspended Microsoft from the Permanent Labor Certification Program, or PERM.
- The suspension also applies to Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini.
- The government said it would not accept new or process pending PERM applications involving the affected companies.
- PERM is generally a required employer certification step before sponsorship for employment-based green cards.
- Administration officials accused the affected companies of fraud or misuse of foreign-worker visa programs.
- The PERM suspension does not by itself affect the validity of existing H-1B visas.
- Microsoft disputed the administration's allegations and said it expects to provide additional information to the government.
Context
What is PERM?
The Permanent Labor Certification Program is generally the first labor-certification step employers must complete before sponsoring eligible foreign workers for employment-based green cards. Hindustan Times Hindustan Times Hindustan Times
Does the suspension cancel existing H-1B visas?
No. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said suspending PERM applications does not by itself affect existing H-1B visas or the status of their holders and dependents. Hindustan Times Hindustan Times
What is at stake for affected workers?
The suspension can affect the permanent-residency, or green-card, process for eligible employees of the affected companies because PERM is a route toward employment-based permanent residency. NDTV Hindustan Times Hindustan Times Hindustan Times
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Suspending PERM processing at these seven companies freezes a real step toward permanent residency for employees who have been charged with nothing, and the fraud allegations remain unproven and contested by Microsoft.
- Where Left and Right split
- The left and the right split on whether PERM's freeze needs proof first or just the allegation.
- Why they won’t converge
- This is a values divide over whether immigration-program access is a discretionary government grant subject to unproven fraud claims or a due-process-protected pathway that officials must substantiate before suspending it.
How left and right read it
Because PERM is generally the required employer step before an employment-based green card, halting new and pending applications at Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini suspends the permanent-residency path of employees charged with nothing — and Microsoft disputes the fraud allegations outright. If the case is that these programs undercut American pay, where is the evidence, and who gets to answer it first?
“The Trump administration has sought to overhaul the program, claiming that it has unfairly allowed companies to sideline Americans and hire foreign workers at lower pay.” — The New York Times
Access to a green card pipeline is a privilege the government extends, not a vested entitlement a firm holds, so when officials allege fraud or misuse of foreign-worker visa programs, pausing new and pending PERM applications at Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini is the least a serious government does. Existing H-1B visas remain valid. Keep the suspensions until these companies prove the program was used honestly.
“Critics of the H1B1 program -- which permits workers with special skills legal employment in the US -- say it is overused, allows cheaper foreign workers to replace American employees, and is rife with abuse.” — New York Post
PERM freezes a real path to residency the moment fraud is alleged — the fight is whether proof should come before the freeze or after.
The receipts — 100 sources
Wire services (4)
Independent coverage (96)
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