IBM stops H-1B and green card sponsorship for most US consulting roles
The decision comes as the Trump administration increases scrutiny on employer-sponsored visas and the permanent residency pathway.
IBM has decided to end H-1B visa and green card sponsorship for most positions within its US consulting business, according to reports from News18 and BusinessLine. The company's consulting division employs more than 150,000 people.
The move occurs during a period of increased scrutiny by the Donald Trump administration regarding the use of employer-sponsored visas. Bloomberg reported that impacted staff have been given the choice to either work for the firm from outside the United States or depart the company by the end of the year.
An IBM spokesperson told Newsweek and Reuters that the company's involvement in high-skilled visa programmes has been decreasing for several years. The spokesperson stated that as client requirements and skill availability have changed, the firm opted to stop sponsorship for most such roles in IBM Consulting.
The policy change affects applications for the H-1B programme and the Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) process, which is the initial stage for many employment-based green cards. It is currently unclear how this will affect employees who already hold H-1B visas.
US Department of Labor data shows that IBM applied for more than 1,100 H-1B visas in the 2026 fiscal year. In comparison, Amazon applied for more than 13,175 visas, while Apple, Meta, and Microsoft each applied for nearly four times the amount sought by IBM.
In October, US Vice President JD Vance said that Microsoft and other firms would be barred from the PERM programme due to alleged fraud concerns. Vance stated, “We want people to invest in the United States of America, particularly the American technology sector.”
