Vance Criticizes Microsoft’s Use of Foreign Worker Programs

Vice President Vance announced on Thursday that foreign workers at Microsoft will be unable to apply for U.S. permanent resident status through an employer-based program. He accused Microsoft of exploiting this process.

Microsoft has been suspended from the permanent labor certification program known as PERM. This program permits companies to permanently hire foreign workers in the U.S.

No company in the United States has abused this system more than Microsoft Vance said at a press conference. Specifically, he stated, We want companies to thrive and invest in the U.S. technology sector while employing American workers.

Vance criticized Microsoft for heavily benefiting from the PERM program and the H-1B visa program last year while laying off thousands of American workers. The H-1B visa targets international talent for specialty positions.

Microsoft responded, stating that the vast majority of its U.S. workforce are Americans. Last year, 80% of its H-1B applications aimed at extending or changing current employee statuses. The remaining petitions were for individuals already legally present in the U.S.

Microsoft’s spokesperson emphasized that they only file H-1B petitions for those meeting the visa’s rigorous criteria, offering competitive wages in the tech sector.

Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling announced the suspension of Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, and other IT firms from the PERM program.

This development has garnered attention, with further information available at TheHill.com.