US Vice President targets Microsoft over H-1B visa programme suspension

Vice President JD Vance announced on Thursday that Microsoft has been suspended from the employment-based green card programme, citing what he characterised as systematic abuse of the H-1B visa system. The action came hours before President Donald Trump publicly praised Nadella and other technology leaders, underscoring the administration's conflicted approach to the sector.

Vance, who heads a federal fraud task force, said Microsoft had violated programme rules by laying off American workers while simultaneously obtaining thousands of H-1B visas for foreign employees. "Our message to Microsoft is: You're a great American company, but you've got to hire great American workers," Vance stated at a news conference, criticising what he termed the use of foreign workers as "indentured servants."

According to Vance's office, Microsoft terminated approximately 6,000 US-based employees last year while securing 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 additional visa allotments. The suspension reflects the Trump administration's broader crackdown on immigration programmes, which officials claim have disadvantaged American workers despite their contributions to economic growth.

The move signals deepening friction between the administration's restrictive immigration stance and the technology industry's reliance on international talent to fuel innovation and competitiveness. Tech companies have long argued that H-1B visas fill critical skills gaps in the American workforce, but the administration contests this assertion and views the programme as displacing domestic workers.