Microsoft President Brad Smith criticized the suspension of Microsoft from the PERM labor certification program, which is the first step for most employment-based green cards, warning that blocking permanent residency for skilled immigrants could “cripple” U.S. tech for more than a generation. The Labor Department suspended Microsoft, Adobe and six IT outsourcers on October 8; Vice President JD Vance alleged Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers last year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B visas, but Smith called these accusations “completely off base” and said Microsoft hired more than 9,000 U.S.-born workers last year. Microsoft’s R&D expense rose 20.5%, from $29.51 billion in fiscal 2024 to $35.56 billion in fiscal 2026, while product R&D headcount fell from 81,000 to 77,000. Since October 7, MSFT rose 0.7%, while Cognizant (CTSH) gained 9.5%, Infosys (INFY) 9.7% and Adobe (ADBE) 3.4%. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling linked the case to multiple active federal investigations, and the PERM list grew from Cognizant alone in September to eight companies in October.
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Related tickers and likely impact
MSFT
▼ Likely negativeMicrosoft
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Information Technology |
| Industry | Systems Software |
| Market cap | $4.0T |
| Close on 10/14/2026 | 533.69 |
| Change that session | -1.80% |
NVDA
▼ Likely negativeNvidia
Relevance: low
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Information Technology |
| Industry | Semiconductors |
| Market cap | $5.2T |
| Close on 10/14/2026 | 221.30 |
| Change that session | -3.16% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
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