US Vice President Announces Suspension of Visa Program for Tech Companies Due to "Fraudulent Activities"

Washington, Oct 8 (KUNA) -- U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance announced on Thursday the suspension of Microsoft’s participation, alongside other technology firms, in the “green card” permanent residency program for skilled foreign workers, citing allegations of fraud. Speaking at a White House press conference, Vance said, “Unfortunately, no company in the United States has abused this system more than Microsoft.” He affirmed that the U.S. administration is continuing to penalize companies accused of using foreign labor to undercut American wages and replacing U.S. workers with foreign nationals.

Vance added that Microsoft hired approximately one foreign worker for every American worker it laid off, noting that the company laid off 6,000 U.S. workers last year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B visas designated for skilled foreign labor and nearly 3,000 green cards. He described this practice as “a disgusting system.”

Vance explained that the U.S. administration has decided to block Microsoft’s access to the Permanent Labor Certification program, which allows employers to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency. The vice president stated, “Our message to Microsoft is: You are a great American company, but you must hire skilled American workers. You cannot lay off American workers and then hire foreign workers on contract status in their place.”

He further confirmed that investigations are also underway against nine U.S. universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, on allegations that they recruited international students to suppress American wages. Vance characterized the administration’s actions as “a historic measure and the decisive first step to stop fraud and abuse and to ensure that these programs never come at the expense of the American worker.”

For his part, U.S. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said at the press conference that his department would also exclude several major information technology firms from the program, including Adobe, Tata, Wipro, HCL, and Infosys, due to fraud allegations and as part of efforts to encourage companies to hire more Americans.

These measures come as U.S. President Donald Trump faces declining approval ratings below 40 percent, amid the approaching midterm elections in the United States. (End) A.M.M. / S.A.M.