IBM halts H-1B, green card sponsorship for most consulting roles: Foreign workers in US told to quit their jobs or leave country

Tech company IBM has decided to stop H-1B visa and green card sponsorship for most positions in its consulting business in the US.

The decision will affect foreign employees who rely on the company’s visa sponsorship to work in the US.

According to Bloomberg, affected employees have been given the option of continuing to work for IBM while staying outside the US until the end of the year, or leaving the company.

The decision comes at a time when the Trump administration has stepped up scrutiny of legal immigration and visas sponsored by companies.

H-1B and PERM processes to be affected

IBM’s decision will apply to applications under the H-1B visa programme and the PERM process. PERM, or Programme Electronic Review Management, is the initial stage of the most common category for obtaining employment-based green cards in the United States.

Under this process, a company must prove that no qualified American workers are available for the positions for which foreign employees are being hired….