US halts green-card applications linked to Microsoft, Adobe and Infosys amid fraud allegations

The Trump administration has suspended certain green-card applications filed by Microsoft, Adobe and several major IT outsourcing companies, while launching investigations into nine leading US universities.

The administration said the measures are part of a broader crackdown on alleged immigration fraud and practices that it claims could hurt American workers.

US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling said permanent labour certification applications involving companies including Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL, Cognizant and Capgemini would not be accepted or processed.

Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft of misusing the system and urged the company to prioritise hiring American workers.

The universities under investigation include Harvard, Yale and Stanford. Vance alleged that some institutions bring in international students in ways that could put downward pressure on wages for US workers.

The action targets the PERM programme, a key step in the employment-based green-card process. Under the programme, employers must demonstrate that hiring foreign workers will not negatively affect the wages, working conditions or employment opportunities of US workers.

The freeze does not directly cancel existing H-1B visas, but it could affect foreign skilled workers seeking permanent residency through employer sponsorship.

Indian IT companies, including Infosys, TCS, Wipro and HCL, are among the major users of the H-1B visa programme.