# Microsoft warns green card limits could cripple US tech

> Brad Smith says Trump administration restrictions on skilled migrant sponsorship risk pushing talent to rival countries and damaging American innovation.
- Title: Microsoft warns green card limits could cripple US tech
- Summary: Brad Smith says Trump administration restrictions on skilled migrant sponsorship risk pushing talent to rival countries and damaging American innovation…
- Keywords: microsoft, brad smith, green cards, trump administration, jd vance, skilled migration, tech industry, us immigration policy, technology, warns, green, card
- Source: TechRadar — https://techradar.com/pro/we-should-all-be-worried-microsoft-president-says-changes-to-green-cards-could-hurt-us-tech
- Published: 2026-10-16T18:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: microsoft, brad smith, green cards, trump administration, jd vance, skilled migration, tech industry, us immigration policy, technology
## Microsoft president warns of tech damage
Brad Smith told Politico that Trump administration restrictions on green card sponsorship could severely damage America's technology industry by limiting access to skilled migrants.
## Eight tech firms suspended from sponsoring workers
On October eighth, twenty twenty-six, Vice President JD Vance announced that Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Capgemini, Tata, Wipro and HCL would be suspended from sponsoring foreign workers for permanent residency.
## Vance defends the restrictions
Vance said Microsoft must hire American workers and cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants.

> You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants.
## Smith fears talent will flee America
Smith warned that restricting green cards could send the most talented next wave of AI and software engineers to other countries rather than the United States.

> I think we should all be worried about sending signals that send the most talented next wave of AI or SI software engineers to other countries, rather than the United States.
## Smith challenges the government's numbers
Smith criticized the Trump administration for failing to get the numbers right about green card applications, calling Vance's comments completely off base and citing the long green card backlog.
## Immigrant talent won US science medals
Smith noted that when the president honored six Americans with technology and science medals, five of the six had come to the United States as immigrants.
## Key takeaway

Microsoft President Brad Smith warned that Trump administration restrictions on green card sponsorship for foreign workers could drive skilled talent to other countries and weaken US technology.