Green Card Crackdown 2026: DOL Suspends Microsoft, Adobe & 6 IT Firms From PERM Program

On October 8, 2026, Vice President JD Vance and Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling announced that the Department of Labor is suspending eight major technology companies — Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini — from the PERM permanent labor certification program. The DOL stated it will neither accept new PERM applications nor process pending ones involving these named employers, with no end date provided for the suspension. PERM (Program Electronic Review Management) is a mandatory step in the EB-2 and EB-3 employer-sponsored green card process. Through PERM, the Department of Labor certifies that no sufficient U.S. workers are available for the role and that hiring a foreign national will not negatively impact U.S. workers' wages or conditions. This suspension effectively halts the green card pipeline for employees at these firms who have not yet cleared the PERM stage. Officials alleged systemic misuse of the PERM system, with Sonderling citing multiple active federal investigations into Microsoft and Adobe specifically. Vance raised concerns about Microsoft's hiring and layoff practices in relation to its foreign worker sponsorships. However, the announcement did not detail the evidentiary basis for these allegations, and no formal findings have been established. Significant ambiguity remains around the scope of this action. It is unclear whether subsidiaries of the named companies are included, and the announcement does not address the fate of already-approved labor certifications, I-140 petitions filed with USCIS, pending adjustment-of-status applications, or current work authorization tied to these cases. For EB-3 and EB-2 workers employed by the named companies, the suspension directly affects only the PERM stage. Workers whose cases have already moved past PERM — to I-140 or I-485 — should not assume their cases are automatically impacted, though further guidance from DOL and USCIS is needed. Affected applicants are strongly advised to consult with an immigration attorney to assess their individual case stage and options.