Microsoft president warns US green card crackdown could break the tech sector

Microsoft President Brad Smith has warned that the Trump administration’s move to restrict green card sponsorship for skilled foreign workers could damage the US technology sector for decades and make it harder for the country to attract global talent, including Indian professionals.

In an interview with Politico’s Decoded newsletter on the sidelines of the International AI Summit in Dublin, Ireland, Smith criticised the administration’s plan to bar Microsoft and seven other companies from seeking green cards for skilled foreign employees.

The move was announced by US Vice President JD Vance, who accused Microsoft of abusing the H-1B visa programme to avoid hiring American workers at higher salaries. Smith rejected the allegations, calling Vance’s claims “completely off base”. He said the majority of Microsoft’s green card applications were for long-serving employees rather than new hires, attributing the applications to lengthy processing backlogs. “Unfortunately, it’s just because the green card backlog is so long,” Smith said.


The dispute is significant for Indian technology professionals working in the US, many of whom use the H-1B visa to work for American companies and subsequently seek permanent residency through employer-sponsored green cards. Any restrictions on sponsorship could complicate their long-term immigration plans, particularly for employees who have spent years waiting for their green card applications to progress.

Microsoft defends its hiring practices

Smith also denied that Microsoft paid foreign-born employees less than American workers, saying the company followed the same compensation system regardless of whether an employee had entered the country on a visa.

He added that Microsoft had hired more than 9,000 US-born workers last year, arguing that this part of the company’s employment record had been overlooked in the administration’s criticism. “We will stand by our record,” Smith said, adding that he hoped White House officials would reconsider the company’s position after examining what he described as a more accurate picture of its hiring and immigration practices.

Smith also pointed to the contribution of immigrants to American innovation. He noted that five of the six recipients honoured by President Donald Trump with technology and science medals had come to the US as immigrants. Among the prominent Indian-origin technology leaders associated with the H-1B programme is Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella, who previously held the skilled worker visa.

Smith warned that tighter restrictions could encourage highly skilled artificial intelligence and software engineers to consider other countries instead of the US. “I think we should all be worried about sending — intentionally or inadvertently or otherwise — signals that send the most talented next wave of AI [or] SI software engineers to other countries, rather than the United States,” he said. A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to Politico’s request for comment on Smith’s remarks.

Despite his criticism of the immigration crackdown, Smith praised the administration’s approach to certain AI safety measures, including export controls imposed on Anthropic’s new AI models. He said the White House had taken decisive action to pause product releases in the interest of public safety.

For Indian professionals, the dispute highlights the uncertainty surrounding US immigration policies and the potential implications for skilled workers seeking to build long-term careers and secure permanent residency in the country.