US Vice President alleges Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers while benefiting from thousands of H-1B visas and green cards; claims PERM programme has been suspended for the company
New Delhi : According to reports in international media, US Vice President JD Vance has accused Microsoft of exploiting the American immigration system, alleging that the company laid off thousands of US workers while continuing to benefit from foreign-worker visas and green cards.
Vance reportedly said Microsoft laid off 6,000 American employees over the past year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards.
Criticising the company’s alleged employment practices, the Vice President said, “For every worker that Microsoft laid off, they replaced that worker with one and a half foreign indentured servants.”
He described the alleged practice as a “scandalous system” that the United States had allowed to continue for too long. Vance added that the administration intended to address the issue through the work of a dedicated task force and with the backing of the US President.
Vance Claims PERM Programme Suspended for Microsoft
In his remarks, Vance further stated that the administration had decided to suspend the PERM (Program Electronic Review Management) programme for Microsoft, claiming that the company would no longer be able to submit applications under the programme.
He also said the move would prevent the company from using H-1B visa holders to pursue permanent resident status in the United States.
The remarks, if accurately reported, signal a potential escalation in the US administration’s scrutiny of corporate hiring practices and employment-based immigration.