Vance Claims Microsoft Replaced Workers With H-1Bs — Data Shows — SkimNews
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- JD Vance claimed Microsoft replaced 6,000 laid-off workers with foreign hires on H-1B visas, citing the company’s 6,258 approvals in fiscal 2025 as evidence.
- Microsoft received 6,258 H-1B visa approvals in fiscal 2025, according to USCIS data, but two-thirds were for employees already working at the company.
- Amazon was the top H-1B sponsor with 19,178 approvals in fiscal 2025, nearly three times more than Microsoft, yet was not among the eight tech firms suspended from green card sponsorship.
- Meta ranked second with 6,294 H-1B approvals in the same period and also avoided suspension, despite heavier reliance on new foreign hires than Microsoft.
- Eight IT services and consulting firms, including Adobe at No. 45 among H-1B sponsors, were suspended from the Labor Department’s PERM green card program, though the action does not affect H-1B visas.
- Anthony D'Esposito, the Labor Department's inspector general, announced a separate investigation into J-1 visa fraud involving nine U.S. universities during the same news conference.
Why it matters: The suspension targets smaller IT firms, not the biggest H-1B users like Amazon or Meta, while Microsoft’s case shows most foreign hires were internal transfers—meaning the administration’s enforcement does not align with Vance’s narrative about mass replacement of American workers.
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