Microsoft president Brad Smith warned that new US restrictions on green-card sponsorship could make it harder for the technology industry to attract skilled workers. He made the comments in an interview with Politico, according to TechRadar.
The warning followed an October 8, 2026 memo by US Vice President JD Vance. It said Microsoft and seven other companies would be suspended from sponsoring foreign workers for permanent US residency. Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Capgemini, Tata, Wipro and HCL were also named as affected companies.
Vance said companies should hire American workers and criticized replacing laid-off US employees with foreign workers. Smith argued that restrictions could encourage skilled workers, including AI and software engineers, to move to other countries, giving those countries access to talent that might otherwise come to the United States.
Smith also disputed Vance’s account of green-card applications, calling his comments “completely off base.” He pointed to what he described as a lengthy green-card backlog. Smith added that five of the six Americans honored by the president with technology and science medals had immigrated to the United States.
The consequences of the restrictions remain uncertain. TechRadar said legal challenges and uncertainty among international workers could follow.
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