By Chris Daniels, KOMO News Senior Reporter
Publication Date: 2026-10-10 00:06:00
Redmond, Wash. — On a drizzly Friday, foot traffic was light across Microsoft’s sprawling and diverse Eastside campus. A new federal action targeting the company’s use of employment-based immigration programs could have repercussions far beyond Redmond.
VOTE: Do you worry visa restrictions for Microsoft will hurt the local economy?
The Trump administration announced Thursday it is suspending Microsoft from the PERM labor-certification program, a key step employers use to sponsor certain foreign workers for permanent residency, or green cards.
The action does not cancel existing H-1B visas, but it could disrupt the path to permanent residency for Microsoft employees working in the United States under those visas.
Vice President JD Vance singled out Microsoft while announcing the decision, accusing the company of laying off American workers and replacing them with foreign employees at lower pay.
“There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused…
