Source: Business Insider Africa, reporting by Olamilekan Okebiorun, published October 9, 2026.
Eight major technology companies have reportedly been suspended from a US programme used to sponsor foreign workers for employment-based permanent residency, potentially affecting African professionals and applicants from other regions.
According to Business Insider Africa, the companies are Microsoft, Adobe, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini. The report says the US Department of Labor suspended their participation in the Permanent Labor Certification programme, known as PERM, amid allegations of misuse and immigration fraud.
PERM is a step in many employer-sponsored green card applications. The reported suspension concerns the companies’ participation in that process, rather than a blanket ban on employing foreign nationals.
What the reported suspension means for African workers
The measure applies to foreign workers regardless of nationality, the outlet reports. African professionals seeking US permanent residency through PERM sponsorship by the affected employers could therefore face uncertainty over their applications.
However, the report does not establish how many African applicants are affected or explain how individual pending cases will be handled.
It also distinguishes US immigration sponsorship from overseas recruitment: the reported restrictions do not prevent these companies from hiring workers for positions in Africa or other markets outside the United States.
Administration scrutiny and Microsoft’s response
Business Insider Africa places the decision within the Trump administration’s broader scrutiny of employers that seek foreign workers while reducing their US workforces.
The article reports that Vice President JD Vance criticised Microsoft over its layoffs and use of employment-based immigration programmes.
Microsoft disputed that characterisation, according to the report. The company said most of its visa filings involved extending or changing the status of existing employees. It added that filings for new employees concerned people already legally present in the United States, rather than workers newly arriving from abroad.
The article also attributes allegations of extensive visa fraud to the Department of Labor. Those allegations should not be treated as established findings of wrongdoing by the named companies.
Employment-based immigration remains important to African professionals
The report highlights employment-based immigration as a route to permanent residency for African-born applicants.
Citing US Office of Homeland Security Statistics data, Business Insider Africa says 11,694 African-born people obtained employment-based permanent residency in fiscal year 2022. Across all immigration categories, the article reports that 105,520 African-born people became permanent residents in fiscal year 2023.
These figures provide broader context but do not show how many applicants were sponsored by the eight companies named in the report.
Source note: This article is rewritten from the Business Insider Africa text provided. The reported suspensions, allegations and figures have not been independently verified here. Visit Business Insider Africa.