Microsoft President Brad Smith has warned the Trump administration that restricting skilled immigrants’ path to permanent residency could weaken the US technology sector and drive top talent to other countries, days after the government moved to block Microsoft and seven other companies from seeking green cards for foreign workers.
His remarks came less than a week after Vance announced that the administration would bar Microsoft and seven other companies from seeking green cards for their skilled foreign workers. In an exclusive interview with Politico’s Decoded, Smith rejected Vice President JD Vance’s allegations that Microsoft misused the H-1B visa program to hire foreign workers at lower salaries. He argued that the crackdown could undermine America’s ability to attract engineers and other highly skilled professionals, particularly in artificial intelligence . He argued that the vast majority of Microsoft’s green card applications involved long-serving employees rather than new hires. Smith also disputed claims that Microsoft paid foreign-born employees less than American workers.
Microsoft hired more than 9,000 US-born workers last year, Smith added, arguing that the figure had been overlooked in the administration’s criticism.
The Microsoft executive said someone had failed to provide Vance with accurate information about the company’s employment and immigration figures. The applications reflected the lengthy backlog in the US permanent residency system, Smith said. “Unfortunately, it’s just because the green card backlog is so long,” he said. He said the company applied the same compensation system regardless of an employee’s immigration status.
