IBM’s biggest division ends most US foreign worker sponsorships

United States technology giant IBM has remarked it will stop sponsoring US foreign worker visas and green cards for most roles in its largest division.

Key points

• IBM Consulting employs more than 150, 000 of IBM's 264, 300-strong global workforce.
• The suspended firms included Adobe and top H-1B employers Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Microsoft.
• The suspensions were confirmed within hours of Trump honouring Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
• Last year, the administration confirmed it would require a one-time $100, 000 fee on new H-1B petitions.
• A firm spokesperson informed Reuters on Tuesday that its consultancy unit had opted to end sponsorship for most roles.

For context, a firm spokesperson informed Reuters on Tuesday that its consultancy unit had opted to end sponsorship for most roles.

Notably, the firm stated its participation in US high-skilled visa programmes had been declining for years, adding that the decision came "as skill availability and client needs have evolved".

IBM has become less reliant on so-called H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers over recent years. Only 1, 611 H-1B petitions were approved for the firm in fiscal year 2026, according to data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

In practice, the announcement comes as the Trump administration has rose pressure on major businesses to cut down on their highly skilled foreign workforce in the US. US President Donald Trump has asserted the programme is often subject to fraud and takes work away from skilled Americans and gives it to immigrants.

For context, the administration remarked in October it was suspending a number of tech firms from a programme that allows H-1B workers to apply for green cards, saying it was cracking down on fraud and ensuring American workers were not being laid off and replaced by foreigners.

For context, the suspended firms included Adobe and top H-1B employers Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Microsoft.

Notably, the suspensions were confirmed within hours of Trump honouring Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

India-born Nadella was one of six business leaders honoured by Trump. Five were foreign-born US citizens, including Tesla boss Elon Musk. This person was born in South Africa, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who immigrated from Russia with his family as a child.

For now, iBM's biggest division ends most US foreign worker sponsorships remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.