{
  "id": 13047090,
  "title": "White House blocks Microsoft from foreign worker hiring program",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/white-house-blocks-microsoft-from-foreign-worker-hiring-program-13047090",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-09T06:08:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KahawaTungu",
    "slug": "kahawatungu",
    "url": "https://kahawatungu.com/white-house-blocks-microsoft-from-foreign-worker-hiring-program/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The White House has barred major technology companies, including Microsoft, from hiring skilled international workers permanently through a widely used visa program, according to Vice President JD Vance. Vance accused the companies of committing fraud via the H1b visa program and the PERM process for foreign workers to become permanent US residents. He claimed that Microsoft, valued as one of the most significant US firms, is replacing American workers with \"foreign indentured servants.\" Microsoft stated that most of the H1b visas filed last year were for existing workers who are paid the same as local staff. The US government will not process any new or pending PERM applications from Microsoft and seven other companies. Vance accused Microsoft of laying off around 6,000 workers and submitting 6,800 H1b visa applications during the same period, suggesting the company is using foreign workers to replace domestic ones and undercut their wages. Microsoft countered that 80% of their H1b visa filings in the last fiscal year related to existing employees, not new hires, and that the international workers paid are the same as US workers. Notable tech firms such as Amazon, Google, Meta, Apple, Nvidia, and others continue to use the H1b visa program.",
  "summary": "Microsoft and several other technology firms have been barred by the White House from hiring skilled international workers on a permanent basis through a widely used visa program. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday accused Microsoft alongside other firms of committing fraud through the use of the H1b visa programme and a related process for [...] The post White House blocks Microsoft from…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "White House blocks Microsoft from foreign worker hiring program",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/white-house-blocks-microsoft-from-foreign-worker-hiring-program",
        "published": "2026-10-09T03:16:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "CNN, MS NOW and Politico ask judge to keep Trump White House ban blocked",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/cnn-ms-now-and-politico-ask-judge-to-keep-trump-white-house-ban",
        "published": "2026-10-09T05:20:09.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}