The United States has suspended Microsoft and Adobe from the green card labor certification program, as part of the administration's broader crackdown on foreign worker hiring, CNBC reports.

The suspension removes two of the country's largest technology employers from the Department of Labor pipeline that allows companies to sponsor foreign nationals for employment-based permanent residence. Until the suspension is lifted or resolved, workers whose green card cases depend on new labor certifications filed by either company face direct consequences.

What is the program that changed?

The green card labor program — commonly known as the PERM process — requires U.S. employers to certify to the Department of Labor that they tested the domestic labor market and could not find a qualified U.S. worker for the role. Labor certification is the mandatory first step for most employer-sponsored employment green cards, including the EB-2 and EB-3 categories that cover the vast majority of company-sponsored professionals.

A suspension from the program means the affected employer cannot move forward with new labor certification filings for foreign workers. CNBC characterizes the move as part of a wider foreign worker crackdown by the U.S. government.

Who is affected?

The decision touches several groups:

• Foreign nationals at Microsoft and Adobe who were expecting the companies to file new PERM labor certification applications on their behalf;
• Employees already partway through the employment-based green card process, since labor certification is the gateway step before the immigrant petition and final green card application;
• Family members derivative on the principal worker's case, whose timelines move in step with the sponsor's.

Workers at other employers are not suspended from the program. However, the action signals intensified scrutiny of how large companies run their labor market recruitment and attestations — a warning sign for any employer that sponsors PERM cases.

What should readers watch next?

CNBC's reporting frames the suspensions within the administration's enforcement push against foreign worker programs. For affected employees and employers, the practical questions are:

• Whether Microsoft and Adobe will appeal or otherwise contest the suspension;
• Whether the Department of Labor publishes the specific grounds — for example, recruitment or wage attestation issues — behind each suspension;
• Whether other large sponsors receive similar measures as the crackdown expands.

Because each green card case turns on its own facts — priority date, country of chargeability, and current stage — affected workers should track official announcements from the Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services rather than rely on general reporting.

Passport File will continue to follow this story as details emerge.

This article reports on a policy change based on CNBC's reporting. It does not constitute legal advice; readers with pending cases should consult a licensed immigration attorney and the official Department of Labor and USCIS channels.