The US government has suspended Microsoft's ability to apply for green cards on behalf of its H-1B workers, Vice-President JD Vance said, in a disclosure that immediately affects one of the country's largest users of the skilled-worker visa programme.

The Guardian reported Vance's statement, which marks the first time in recent memory that a single major employer has been publicly barred from filing employment-based permanent residency petitions for its H-1B workforce. No effective date, duration, or numerical scope of the suspension appears in the announcement as reported.

What does the suspension change?

Under normal practice, an employer sponsors an H-1B worker for a green card through a multi-step process: a labor certification (PERM), an immigrant petition, and finally adjustment of status or consular processing. A suspension at the employer level blocks the company from initiating or continuing those filings while the measure stands.

For Microsoft's H-1B employees, the practical consequences are:

• The company cannot file new employment-based green card petitions on their behalf.
• Pending applications tied to Microsoft as sponsor face uncertainty until the government clarifies the suspension's terms.
• Workers may need to maintain H-1B status through other means, such as extensions, while the bar remains in place.

The announcement does not, on the face of it, strip H-1B holders of their existing visa status. It targets the employer's sponsorship function, not the workers' underlying authorization to remain employed in the United States.

Who is affected and how many?

Microsoft employs a large H-1B population, though the announcement as reported does not state how many workers hold pending or planned green card applications through the company. The suspension applies specifically to Microsoft's petitions; it does not constitute a change to the H-1B programme itself or to green card quotas generally.

The annual H-1B cap — 65,000 regular petitions plus 20,000 for US advanced-degree holders — and the employment-based green card per-country ceilings remain unchanged by this action. This is an employer-specific enforcement measure, not a programme-wide rule change.

Why does the announcement matter?

Vice-President Vance made the statement publicly, which places the suspension at the political level rather than leaving it to a routine agency notice from USCIS or the Department of Labor. A public announcement by the Vice-President suggests the administration wants the measure visible.

It also signals a harder line on employer compliance within the skilled-worker system. If the government is willing to suspend green card sponsorship for a company of Microsoft's scale, smaller employers will read the message clearly: sponsorship privileges can be withdrawn.

What should affected workers watch?

Anyone in H-1B status at Microsoft should monitor official channels for the formal order, its effective date and any appeal or remediation process. The announcement as reported does not specify:

• The legal or regulatory basis for the suspension.
• Its duration or conditions for lifting it.
• Whether petitions already filed before the announcement remain active.

Until an official notice appears in the Federal Register or from USCIS, the precise mechanics of the suspension stay unclear. Readers should rely on those primary sources for the operative details rather than on summaries, and individuals with pending cases should consult a licensed immigration attorney for advice specific to their situation — this report describes the announced change and does not provide legal counsel.

The Guardian's report contains Vance's statement and the core fact of the suspension. Passport File will update this story as federal agencies publish the underlying order.