- President Trump signed an executive order on Monday suspending entry into the US for immigrant workers, including highly skilled H-1B visas often used by Microsoft employees.
- Microsoft President Brad Smith condemned the order, saying it comes at a time when the US needs those workers most.
- Microsoft is among the most prolific H-1B visas sponsors. The company has opened and expanded an office in Vancouver, Canada, for the country’s relative ease in bringing in talent from other countries.
- Amazon, Google, Apple, and other technology companies have also publicly condemned the order, saying it would undermine America’s economic recovery and competitiveness.
- Are you a current or former Microsoft employee? Contact this reporter via encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-425-344-8242) or email (astewart@businessinsider.com).
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Microsoft President Brad Smith condemned an order from President Donald Trump suspending visas for highly skilled workers, saying the move creates uncertainty and cuts the US off from talented workers when the country needs them most.
“Now is not the time to cut our nation off from the world’s talent or create uncertainty and anxiety,” Smith said in a statement. “Immigrants play a vital role at our company and support our country’s critical infrastructure. They are contributing to this country at a time when we need them most.”
Smith’s comments come after Trump signed an executive order on Monday suspending entry into the US for immigrant workers, including those coming under the H-1B visa program for highly skilled workers often used by technology companies like Microsoft and Amazon. The suspension extends through the end of the year.
Microsoft is among the most prolific sponsors of H-1B visas. The company has sponsored more than 6,000 this year, according to a top visa tracking website – No. 10 for the year overall. Not only that, but Microsoft turns to many other top visa sponsors for contractors. IT consulting giant HCL Technologies, for example, has sponsored nearly 4,700 H-1B visas in 2020 and has an entire business unit dedicated to Microsoft, plus an office practically within Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington headquarters.
Microsoft has an office in Vancouver, Canada, which it originally opened in 2007 amid a US visa crunch and has expanded over the years, citing the relative ease of bringing highly skilled immigrant workers to Canada.
President Trump has said the ban is necessary to protect Americans from job losses during the economic crisis created by COVID-19. Amazon, Google, Apple, and other technology companies have also publicly condemned the order, saying it would undermine America’s economic recovery and competitiveness.
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