Vance says administration will suspend Microsoft from green-card program
Vice President J.D. Vance announced the administration will suspend Microsoft from the program that lets firms seek green cards for H-1B workers. Vance said Microsoft laid off 6,000 U.S. workers while obtaining 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards, and framed the step as part of an immigration crackdown on alleged H-1B system abuse.
AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 5 outlets' reporting · Full text read from 1 of 5 outletsHow it's made
File photoWhat happened
Key facts
- Vice President J.D. Vance announced Microsoft will be suspended from the program that allows companies to apply for green cards on behalf of H-1B visa holders (per fox56.com, The Daily Wire, thesun.my).
- Vance said Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers last year while obtaining 6,300 H-1B visas (per fox56.com).
- Vance said Microsoft obtained nearly 3,000 green cards while conducting layoffs (per fox56.com).
- The administration presented the suspension as part of an immigration crackdown aimed at companies it says are abusing the H-1B system to fill jobs that could go to U.S. citizens (per fox56.com).
- Vance described a hiring practice he said companies use of placing minimal ads, claiming no U.S. applicants, and then hiring foreign workers on H-1B visas (per fox56.com).
The brief
Vice President J.D. Vance announced that the Trump administration will suspend Microsoft from the program that permits employers to apply for green cards on behalf of workers who entered the United States on H-1B visas.
Vance made the announcement in remarks reported by Fox56, saying the action is part of a wider administration effort to crack down on companies the White House contends abuse the H-1B system. According to Fox56's account, Vance said Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers last year and simultaneously obtained 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards.
He described what he characterized as a common hiring practice in which companies post minimal advertisements, claim no U.S. applicants applied, and then hire foreign workers using H-1B visas. Fox56 quoted Vance saying companies use that approach to replace U.S. workers with foreign hires.
The Fox56 article places the suspension within an administration policy posture described on its face as an "immigration crackdown" targeting perceived abuses of the H-1B program.
The report also notes President Trump raised the H-1B application fee to $100,000 and that the fee increase is tied up in federal court, linking the Microsoft action to other administration measures on high-skilled visas.
Other outlets' headlines corroborate that Vance took steps against Microsoft: The Daily Wire ran a headline on Vance's actions, The Sun Malaysia headlined that the U.S. is suspending Microsoft from the visa program, Yahoo summarized that Vance suspended Microsoft from a green-card program to crack down on alleged fraud, and The Hill headlined that foreign workers at Microsoft will no longer be able to apply for permanent status.
Those headlines indicate wider coverage but do not add details beyond the Fox56 text. Fox56's account presents Vance's figures and description of hiring practices as the basis for the suspension; the article attributes the numbers and characterizations to Vance.
The report does not include on-the-record comment from Microsoft in its text, nor does it provide independent verification of the layoff and visa numbers Vance cited. The article ties the move to the administration's broader policy on H-1B visas through the raised application fee and the stated objective of reducing abuse of the system.
Readers should note the central facts reported here—Vance's announcement of a suspension, the layoff and visa numbers he cited, and the framing of the action as part of an immigration crackdown—come from the Fox56 account and from the other outlets' headlines that restate the announcement.
Why it matters
- U.S. workers at Microsoft: Vance cited 6,000 American workers laid off, implying a concrete employment impact on those former employees if the administration acts on his stated concerns.
- Foreign H-1B employees at Microsoft: Vance said Microsoft obtained 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards, which the administration says could be constrained by the suspension and related policy changes.
- Visa policy enforcement: The reported $100,000 H-1B application fee and its being tied up in federal court signal administrative levers the White House is using that affect companies filing H-1B and green-card requests.
What to watch next
- Whether Microsoft challenges or responds publicly to the suspension announced by Vice President J.D. Vance in statements or filings.
- Whether the federal court rules on the $100,000 H-1B application fee that President Trump raised, a fee Fox56 reported is tied up in litigation.
- Whether the administration follows the announced suspension with a formal regulatory or enforcement action documented in an agency filing.
How it's being covered
Coverage analysisShow details5 source articles · 5 unique outletsCoverage mix: Mixed· 2 Center · 3 RightWhere the outlets are based: US/Canada 80% · Asia 20%
- Coverage is currently concentrated among outlets based in US/Canada (4 of 5 geographically-identified sources).
How outlets' accounts compare
How we got here
Immediate backdrop: In 2025, the Trump administration announced a major revision to H-1B policy that included a $100,000 fee increase for H-1B petitions and related employer privileges; that fee hike was the subject of a federal court challenge filed in 2026 and remained tied up in litigation through October 2026.
The regulatory pathway enabling employers to seek permanent residency on behalf of H-1B workers traces to the Immigration Act of 1990, which created the modern H-1B nonimmigrant classification.
Original sources
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