H-1B Crackdown Hits Microsoft, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro and Others

NewsData.io · United States · Oct 16, 2026

The Trump administration has escalated its crackdown on employer-sponsored foreign workers, suspending Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL Technologies, and Capgemini from the PERM labor certification process — the first step in most employer-sponsored green cards. A new wage-weighted H-1B lottery took effect February 27, 2026, favoring higher-paid roles, while a proposed $100,000 H-1B fee remains tied up in courts. Immigration attorneys warn that freezing PERM filings removes the pathway for H-1B holders to extend beyond the standard six-year cap, creating project risk and potential relocation costs for employers. Staffing firms and IT services contractors should expect clients to renegotiate outsourcing contracts, accelerate domestic hiring, and build immigration risk into workforce planning budgets.