Microsoft utestenges fra visumprogram

The US government has suspended Microsoft, Adobe and several other major IT companies from a program that could grant foreign workers permanent residency in the United States, according to Reuters. Authorities cite claims of fraud and a desire to pressure companies to hire more Americans. Microsoft spokesperson JD Vance urges the company to hire more American workers, stating, "Our message to Microsoft is: You're a great American company, but you must hire great American workers."

The Labor Department's Keith Sonderling confirms that several of the world's largest IT companies, including Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini, have also been barred from the program. Sonderling adds that they will neither accept new applications nor handle pending applications from these companies for permanent work certification involving them.

The PERM program, which allows American companies to help foreign workers obtain permanent residency in the US, enables American companies to assist foreign workers with obtaining permanent residency, known as green cards. The program is used for H-1B visas, which allow highly skilled foreign workers to temporarily work in the US.

To get approval, employers must document that there are no qualified American workers available for the job. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that nine universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, are under investigation for allegedly hiring international students to drive down American wages. General Inspector Anthony D’Esposito of the Labor Department says, "If an American university breaks the law to save a dollar while setting American research against a hostile power, it's not academic excellence. It's institutional fraud."