Microsoft defends H-1B visa use amid US PERM prog suspension

Microsoft defended its use of H-1B visas, saying 80 per cent of its approximately 6,000 applications last fiscal year involved existing employees rather than new hires, as the Trump administration suspended the company’s ability to sponsor foreign workers through a key employment-based green-card programme.

The technology giant said its H-1B applications were primarily intended to extend or change the immigration status of employees already working for the company.

The statement came after the administration moved to suspend Microsoft from the Permanent Labour Certification programme,



commonly known as PERM, which employers use as an initial step towards obtaining employment-based permanent residency for foreign workers.

“We believe in the strength and talent of the American workforce. That is why the vast majority of Microsoft employees in the United States are Americans,” the company said in a statement posted on its corporate website.

Microsoft said it wanted to provide the administration with additional information about its hiring practices.

“We look forward to providing the Administration with additional information,” the company said.