The U.S. Labor Department said it has suspended Microsoft and Adobe from the permanent labor certification program, or PERM. According to Sina Finance, Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the department will no longer accept or process new applications under the program from several companies, including Cognizant, Infosys, Capgemini, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, and HCL Technologies.

Sonderling said Adobe and Microsoft were suspended because multiple federal investigations are underway into both companies. He said that since 2009, those companies alone have applied to bring in nearly 3 million foreign workers, received approval for more than 230,000 H-1B visas, and obtained more than 100,000 permanent labor certifications.

Vice President JD Vance singled out Microsoft and cited the company's large-scale layoffs in 2025. He accused Microsoft of replacing laid-off U.S. workers with foreign employees holding H-1B visas.

At the same technology summit where the suspension was announced, U.S. President Donald Trump was set to present awards on Thursday to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and other tech executives.