The United States government has suspended processing of certain employment-based green-card applications involving Microsoft, Adobe and six other major technology companies as the Trump administration intensifies its scrutiny of the country’s skilled-worker immigration system.

The action affects applications filed under the Permanent Labor Certification, or PERM, programme, which is used by many US employers seeking to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residence.

Besides Microsoft and Adobe, the companies affected include Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Cognizant and Capgemini.

US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling said the Department of Labor would stop accepting new PERM applications from the affected companies and would also halt the processing of pending applications involving them while the administration investigates their use of the system.

The PERM process generally requires an employer to demonstrate that there are not sufficient qualified US workers available for the position and that employing a foreign worker will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed American workers. The Department of Labor describes PERM as part of the process through which employers can sponsor workers for permanent resident status.

The administration has alleged that some employers have manipulated recruitment procedures to make it appear that qualified American workers could not be found, thereby creating a pathway to hire foreign workers.

The companies named in the latest action have not been found guilty of those allegations, and the government’s move is taking place while investigations continue.

Vice President JD Vance singled out Microsoft during the announcement, accusing the technology company of making extensive use of the H-1B visa programme while also laying off American workers.

Microsoft has rejected the suggestion that it uses the programme to replace US employees. According to Reuters, the company said about 80 per cent of its H-1B applications during the most recent fiscal year involved existing employees seeking extensions or changes of status rather than new hires. The company also said H-1B employees receive the same pay as comparable workers.

The latest action follows other immigration measures introduced by the Trump administration as it seeks to place greater emphasis on hiring American workers.

The administration has also increased scrutiny of H-1B employment and launched broader investigations into alleged misuse of visa programmes.

The Labour Department has previously taken enforcement action against individual companies over alleged PERM violations. In May, the department announced a 180-day suspension of PERM processing for Cloudera after the government alleged that the company had created a recruitment process that prevented qualified American workers from applying for certain technology positions.

The government’s latest move is broader because it covers eight major technology and IT companies simultaneously.

The suspension does not amount to a cancellation of existing green cards, nor does it mean that all foreign workers employed by the affected companies have lost their immigration status. Instead, it directly concerns the processing of certain permanent labour certification applications.

The administration has also opened investigations involving nine universities, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, over alleged misuse of exchange-visitor visa programmes.

The developments form part of a wider shift in US immigration policy under President Donald Trump, with the administration placing increased emphasis on employment-based immigration enforcement and the protection of American workers.

For employees and prospective foreign workers seeking permanent residence through the affected companies, the immediate consequence is likely to be delays or uncertainty surrounding PERM applications while the investigations remain ongoing.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia