IBM halts H-1B, green card sponsorship for most consulting roles
· Business · India Today, Reuters
IBM has ended H-1B visa and green card sponsorship for most roles in its US consulting business, affecting immigrant workers who now face overseas posting or departure by year-end. The decision impacts IBM Consulting employees relying on company-sponsored work visas and permanent residency pathways, amid the Trump administration's crackdown on legal immigration. According to Bloomberg, affected employees were offered the choice of working remotely from outside the US or leaving the company entirely. IBM confirmed the shift, citing declining participation in high-skilled visa programs over several years as skill availability and client needs evolved. The move also covers the PERM labour certification process, the first step in the most common employment-based green card category. US Department of Labor data shows IBM applied for over 1,100 H-1B visas in the 2026 fiscal year, far below rivals like Amazon, which sought more than 13,715 by the third quarter of the same fiscal year.
Why it matters
Affected immigrant employees in IBM Consulting face immediate disruption, forced to either relocate overseas or exit the company by year-end, losing their employer-sponsored pathway to US permanent residency.
Read the original report — India Today
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