From Business Insider · Brent D. Griffiths · · 1m 10s
IBM ends visa sponsorship for most consulting roles
IBM Consulting will stop sponsoring immigration visas for the majority of its roles, affecting thousands of workers as the Trump administration pressures tech firms on foreign labour.
In brief
IBM Consulting will stop sponsoring immigration visas for the majority of its roles, affecting thousands of workers as the Trump administration pressures tech firms on foreign labour. IBM is ending immigration sponsorship for most roles in IBM Consulting, its largest unit, as the Trump administration cracks down on…
IBM ends visa sponsorship in consulting
IBM said it is ending immigration sponsorships for a majority of roles in IBM Consulting, its largest unit with over 150,000 consultants.
“we have opted to discontinue visa and green card sponsorship for the majority of such roles in IBM Consulting”
Trump administration pressure on tech visas
The move comes as the Trump administration cracks down on tech companies' reliance on foreign workers. In September 2025, President Donald Trump introduced a one hundred thousand dollar fee on some H-1B applicants.
IBM visa approvals have declined sharply
IBM had just over one thousand six hundred H-1B petitions approved in fiscal year twenty twenty-six, compared to over two thousand in fiscal year twenty twenty-five and nearly three thousand in fiscal year twenty twenty-four.
Affected workers face limited options
Employees affected by the change can continue working for IBM outside the US or leave the company by the end of the year.
The takeaway
IBM is ending immigration sponsorship for most roles in IBM Consulting, its largest unit, as the Trump administration cracks down on tech companies' use of foreign workers.
