WASHINGTON — The United States has suspended eight major technology companies, including Microsoft, Adobe and India’s Infosys, from a key employment-based immigration programme amid allegations of visa misuse and fraud, a move that could complicate permanent residency plans for skilled foreign workers, including African professionals.
The US Department of Labour’s decision affects the Permanent Labour Certification programme, known as PERM, which allows employers to sponsor eligible foreign workers for US employment-based green cards. The other companies named are Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini.
The suspension, according to Business Insider Africa, restricts the affected companies’ ability to use PERM to sponsor foreign nationals for permanent residency. It does not, however, prevent them from recruiting workers for positions in Africa or other markets outside the United States.
The action comes as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies scrutiny of employers that recruit foreign workers while reducing their domestic workforces, particularly in the technology sector.
US Vice-President JD Vance criticised Microsoft over its employment and immigration practices, alleging that the company had laid off 6,000 American workers while securing 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 permanent residencies.
“Our message to Microsoft is: You’re a great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers,” Vance said.
He added that companies could not lay off American workers and replace them with foreign employees.
Microsoft disputed the administration’s characterisation of its visa applications, saying most of its recent filings related to employees already legally working in the United States.
“80 percent of the visas were to extend or change the status of existing Microsoft employees,” the company said.
The company added that the remaining filings involved people already legally in the country who chose to join Microsoft, representing about 1% of its US workforce.
US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling said the eight companies had sought almost three million foreign workers since 2009, obtained more than 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and secured over 100,000 permanent labour certifications.
The Department of Labour also said it had uncovered $22 billion worth of alleged visa fraud. The figures and allegations form part of the administration’s justification for tightening oversight of employment-based immigration.
“Today we are protecting something far more valuable than any dollar amount. We are protecting the American worker,” Sonderling said.
African professionals face added uncertainty
The restrictions could affect African professionals seeking to settle in the United States through employment with the suspended companies. However, the available information does not establish how many African applicants are directly affected or how many pending applications will be delayed or otherwise disrupted.
US immigration statistics underline the importance of employment-based migration to the continent. In fiscal 2022, 11,694 African-born people obtained permanent residency through employment-based preference categories, while 89,571 African-born people received green cards across employment, family, diversity visa and other categories.
In fiscal 2023, the number of African-born recipients across all immigration categories increased to 105,520, representing approximately 9% of new permanent residents. Nigeria accounted for 15,790 recipients.
These figures cover African-born recipients across the wider immigration system and should not be interpreted as the number of workers sponsored by the eight companies.
For technology professionals, the immediate implications will depend on the scope and duration of the suspensions, the status of individual applications and any subsequent administrative or legal developments. Employers and prospective migrants may need to assess alternative routes where eligible, although other immigration pathways have their own requirements and limitations.
The episode also highlights the tension between the US administration’s stated objective of protecting domestic employment and technology companies’ reliance on international talent. For African professionals seeking access to the US technology market, employer-sponsored permanent residency has been one route to long-term settlement, making changes to the programme an important development to monitor.
Source note: This report is based on the supplied Business Insider Africa article. No independent interviews with analysts or sources at The Zimbabwe Financial Mail were provided; direct quotations and attributed claims are retained from the source material rather than presented as original interviews.
