IBM’s biggest division ends most US foreign worker sponsorships

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkIBM is ending most US foreign worker visa sponsorships, which the Trump administration has targeted as part of its immigration crackdowns [File: Sergio Perez/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff and ReutersPublished On 10 Nov 202610 Nov 2026United States technology giant IBM has said it will stop sponsoring US foreign worker visas and green cards for most roles in its largest division.A company spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday that its consultancy unit had opted to end sponsorship for most roles.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump administration seeks to formalise H-1B fee of more than $100,000list 2 of 3US suspends Microsoft and Adobe from visa programme amid fraud claimslist 3 of 3Trump gives top US science awards to Elon Musk and other tech executivesend of listThe company said its participation in US high-skilled visa programmes had been declining for years, adding that the decision came “as skill availability and client needs have evolved”.IBM Consulting employs more than 150,000 of IBM’s 264,300-strong global workforce.IBM has become less reliant on so-called H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers in recent years. Only 1,611 H-1B petitions were approved for the company in fiscal year 2026, according to data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services.The announcement comes as the Trump administration has increased pressure on major companies to cut down on their highly skilled foreign workforce in the US. US President Donald Trump has claimed the programme is often subject to fraud and takes work away from skilled Americans and gives it to immigrants.Last year, the administration announced it would require a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions.The administration said in October it was suspending a number of tech companies from a programme that allows H-1B workers to apply for green cards, saying it was cracking down on fraud and ensuring American workers were not being laid off and replaced by foreigners.The suspended companies included Adobe and top H-1B employers Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Microsoft.The suspensions were announced within hours of Trump honouring Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.India-born Nadella was one of six business leaders honoured by Trump. Five were foreign-born US citizens, including Tesla boss Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who immigrated from Russia with his family as a child.