US lawmakers condemn suspension of tech firms from green card programme

• The administration has suspended Microsoft, Adobe and other companies from the PERM labour certification programme

• Democratic lawmakers say the restrictions will disrupt legal immigration, unsettle families and hurt US competitiveness

• The action affects a process used for certain employment-based green cards; it does not automatically cancel existing H-1B visas

Two Democratic lawmakers have condemned the Trump administration’s suspension of Microsoft, Adobe and other technology companies from a programme used to sponsor foreign workers for employment-based green cards, warning that the restrictions could disrupt families and damage American innovation.

Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Suzan DelBene, both from Washington state, said on Thursday that the decision would create fresh uncertainty for skilled professionals already living and working legally in the United States.

The restrictions concern the Permanent Labour Certification programme, or PERM, through which employers obtain labour certification for certain employment-based permanent residency applications. The action does not automatically revoke existing H-1B visas, but affects the companies’ access to this green card process.

Jayapal, the senior Democrat on the House immigration subcommittee, described the decision as another move against legal immigration. The Indian-American congresswoman noted that she had herself held an H-1B visa and represented tens of thousands of Microsoft employees.

She said PERM offered foreign professionals an established route towards permanent residency, with safeguards intended to protect American jobs and ensure that hiring benefited the economy.

“You don’t fix a broken immigration system by taking a hammer to legal immigration,” Jayapal said.

She also pointed to Microsoft’s longstanding advocacy for immigration reform, arguing that restricting the company’s participation in the programme would undermine lawful opportunities for skilled workers and weaken the country’s capacity to innovate.

DelBene said the decision targeted current H-1B visa holders rather than addressing concerns about misuse of the temporary work visa programme. She described removing access to a green card pathway for workers at selected companies as a punitive application of the law.

According to DelBene, the restrictions would unsettle professionals seeking to remain in the country with their families, while adding uncertainty for employers and the wider economy. She warned that the consequences could extend to innovation, competitiveness and American workers.

The H-1B programme enables US employers to hire foreign professionals for specialised roles, including in technology, engineering and scientific research. PERM serves a separate function within the permanent residency process, making the suspension a concern for workers whose employers use it to support green card applications.

With IANS inputs