US freezes Microsoft, Adobe, Infosys green-card applications over alleged fraud

US freezes Microsoft, Adobe, Infosys green-card applications over alleged fraud.

Key points

• 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 USCIS data.
• "Our message to Microsoft is: You're a great American company, but you've got to hire great American workers, " US Vice President JD Vance remarked.
• Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Wipro and Capgemini did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
• During President Donald Trump's second term, firms have faced growing pressure to keep jobs and production in the United States rather than move them overseas.
• Vance additionally stated nine universities, including Harvard, Yale and Stanford, would be investigated for allegedly bringing in international students to undercut American wages.

US freezes Microsoft, Adobe, Infosys green-card applications over alleged fraud. Reuters Published October 8, 2026 Updated October 8, 2026 09: 54pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel.

In practice, the Trump administration on Thursday froze some green-card filings by Microsoft, Adobe and major IT outsourcers and opened probes into nine elite universities, widening a visa crackdown it notes targets fraud and American job losses.

Notably, the twin actions mark the broadest strike yet against skilled-worker immigration programmes, potentially blocking a common path to permanent residency for thousands of foreign tech workers while putting some of the country's most prominent research universities on notice.

For context, the moves come even as the administration cultivates closer ties with the same tech leaders whose firms are now in its crosshairs.

"Our message to Microsoft is: You're a great American company, but you've got to hire great American workers, " US Vice President JD Vance remarked. "There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused this system more than Microsoft."

Secretary of Labour Keith Sonderling continued that some of the largest IT firms in the world would additionally be suspended from that programme, including Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini.

"We will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labour certification applications involving these companies, " Sonderling remarked.

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

Under the Labour Department's permanent labour certification process, known as PERM. It is required for most employment-based green cards, employers must show that hiring a foreign worker will not harm the wages, working conditions or job opportunities of US workers. Approved applications then go to US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

For context, the freeze does not appear to directly affect current holders of H-1B visas. It allow firms to employ foreign workers temporarily. But it could block a common route by which employers sponsor those workers for permanent residency.

Indian IT firms such as Infosys, TCS, Wipro and HCL, along with Cognizant, have long been among the biggest users of H-1B visas.

Microsoft is additionally the largest filer of PERM applications, according to Permtrack.app. It compiles Labour Department disclosure data.

For context, the suspensions are the latest in a series of steps against skilled-worker programmes.

In September last year, the Labour Department introduced 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.

In practice, the action comes despite closer ties between the administration and tech leaders. This person are lobbying for lighter AI regulation. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was among the executives at a White House AI summit on September 29.

Meanwhile, the nine universities additionally include Brown and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Vance accused them of using J-1 exchange-visitor visas to bring in international students and undercut American wages. Labour Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito remarked subpoenas had already been served.

"We will investigate whether foreign influence, improper financial relationships, or visa abuse are compromising federally funded research, " D'Esposito remarked.

"If an American university is breaking the law to save $1 while exposing American research to a foreign adversary, that is not academic excellence. It's institutional betrayal."

In practice, the probe adds to the administration's long-running fight with Harvard over foreign students.

Last year, the Department of Homeland Security subpoenaed Harvard for documents on alleged misconduct by international students and its compliance with federal immigration law. Harvard called that subpoena "unfounded retribution" but remarked it would comply as far as the law requires.

Taken together, the developments around US freezes Microsoft, Adobe, Infosys green-card applications over alleged fraud point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.