Labor Department Bars Microsoft, Adobe and Six IT Firms From Green Card Program

WASHINGTON, The Department of Labor suspended Microsoft, Adobe and six information technology outsourcing firms from the federal green-card certification program on Oct. 8, a move announced at a White House press conference by Vice President JD Vance, Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling and Attorney General Todd Blanche.

The eight companies, Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini, are barred from the Permanent Labor Certification program, known as PERM. The action freezes both new filings and applications already in the queue, according to multiple immigration law firm analyses reviewed by ETL Newswire.

PERM is the first step for most employer-sponsored, employment-based green cards in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories. Employers must demonstrate that qualified U.S. workers are unavailable before the Labor Department certifies a position for foreign labor. USCIS then adjudicates the subsequent Form I-140 immigrant petition.

Sonderling, speaking at the press conference, said Microsoft and Adobe were suspended "due to multiple active federal investigations," according to a report reviewed by WR Immigration. Vance accused the companies of abusing the visa system.

Sonderling stated the department "will not accept any new and will not process any pending" applications involving the named companies, according to a Greenberg Traurig immigration law analysis of the announcement. No fixed end date was given.

Attorney General Blanche said criminal charges against companies or individuals were possible, according to a Visa Pros analysis of the press conference. No charges have been announced against any of the eight firms. Several immigration law firms noted within hours that allegations made at a press conference do not constitute a final finding of wrongdoing.

The administration has not published a written press release or named the specific regulatory authority behind the action, according to a Visa Pros review of the announcement. Legal analysts point to 20 C.F.R. Section 656.31(b)(1), which allows the Labor Department to suspend PERM processing when an employer is under investigation for possible fraud or willful misrepresentation. That regulation permits an initial suspension of up to 180 days, with extensions while investigations or court proceedings continue, according to an Alma immigration platform analysis.

The Oct. 8 action follows earlier steps by the administration. The Labor Department announced a 180-day PERM suspension for Cloudera on May 12, 2026. On July 8, the department's Office of Inspector General announced a broader H-1B and PERM investigation involving allegations of fraudulent applications, wage kickbacks and worker exploitation, according to the Greenberg Traurig analysis.

Sonderling said the eight suspended companies had together requested nearly three million foreign workers since 2009 and had received more than 230,000 H-1B approvals and more than 100,000 permanent labor certifications, according to the Visa Pros account of the press conference. The department has not released the underlying data behind those figures.

H-1B visas for current employees at the named companies are not suspended. Approved I-140 petitions are not revoked by the action. The suspension affects only the PERM stage and does not constitute a government-wide halt on the program, which remains open to other employers, according to the Alma analysis.

The administration has not announced a process by which the suspended companies could seek reinstatement.

Sources cited:
- WR Immigration (wolfsdorf.com) (https://wolfsdorf.com/dol-announces-perm-suspensions-for-microsoft-adobe-and-major-it-firms/)
- Greenberg Traurig Immigration Blog (https://www.gtlaw-insidebusinessimmigration.com/perm/dol-announces-perm-processing-suspensions-for-major-technology-companies/)
- Visa Pros (https://visa-pros.com/perm-suspension-2026/)
- Alma Immigration Platform (https://www.tryalma.com/learn/microsoft-adobe-perm-suspension)
- Littler Policy Week in Review (https://www.littler.com/news-analysis/asap/policy-week-review-october-9-2026)