The United States has suspended Microsoft, major IT outsourcers and Adobe from a key green-card programme, Reuters reported on Thursday. The move marks the broadest strike yet against skilled-worker immigration.The US Department of Labor stopped accepting new PERM applications and halted pending ones for the firms. PERM, or permanent labour certification, is the primary legal pipeline that lets foreign tech workers move from temporary jobs to permanent residency.Vice President JD Vance said no company had abused the system more than Microsoft.

He said the company laid off 6,000 American workers last year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards.Microsoft is the largest filer of PERM applications, according to US labour department data. The company said about 80 per cent of its H-1B filings last year were to extend the status of current employees, not hire new workers.The administration also opened probes into nine top universities, widening a crackdown it says targets fraud and protects American jobs. The actions came hours before Trump honoured tech CEOs, including Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, with science awards.