International Business Machines Corp. ( IBM ) announced that it is ending immigration sponsorship for some of the roles in its largest division. This comes after the crackdown by the Donald Trump government on the visa program that’s served as a talent pipeline for the tech industry thus far.
However, participation reportedly has been declining for many years while the skill availability and client need have evolved, the spokesperson added. The reliance on foreign workers in the tech industry has long been a flashpoint in the immigration debate. Last month, the administration also accused Microsoft Corp. , Adobe Inc. and other companies of abusing the US worker visa program and suspended them indefinitely from using it.
Microsoft has been one of the largest users of H-1B visas for a long time, having secured approval for 3,828 in 2026, as per USCIS.
“We have opted to discontinue visa and green card sponsorship for the majority of such roles in IBM Consulting,” a company spokesperson said. The IBM division impacted by this decision participated in “US high-skilled visa programs” to address skill shortages, the spokesperson also said.
Since Trump returned to office last year, the administration has pressed on tech giants to do more and hire workers from the US itself.
