White House blocks Microsoft from foreign worker hiring program

Microsoft and several other tech companies have been prohibited by the White House from hiring skilled international workers permanently through the H1b visa program. Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini of abusing the system to replace American workers with foreign ones. The US government will not process new or pending Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM) applications from these companies. Secretary of Labor Kieth Sonderling criticized these firms for turning into “visa mills.” Microsoft, which employs over 200,000 people globally, stated that most of its US employees are American and that 80% of its H1b visa applications were for existing employees. The company also claimed that international workers are paid the same as US workers. Despite the criticism, Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, was set to receive a medal for technology innovation from President Donald Trump. QUESTION: How might the restriction on hiring international workers through the H1b visa program impact the technology industry in the United States?