IBM said it’s ending immigration sponsorships for “a majority of roles” in its biggest unit.
“IBM Consulting participates in U.S. high-skilled visa programs to address skill shortages,” an IBM spokesperson said in a statement. “That participation has been declining for a number of years and as skill availability and client need have evolved, we have opted to discontinue visa and green card sponsorship for the majority of such roles in IBM Consulting.”
The news, which was first reported by Bloomberg, comes as the Trump administration has sought to crack down on tech companies’ reliance on foreign workers. In September 2025, President Donald Trump introduced a $100,000 fee on some H-1 B applicants, though that proposal is tied up in the courts.
Last month, Vice President JD Vance announced that the Trump administration was suspending Microsoft from a federal program that companies use to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency. Vance said that the tech company had abused the Permanent Labor Certification process, often called PERM.
IBM Consulting is by far the largest unit of the tech giant. According to its website, there are over 150,000 consultants. In its 2025 annual report, IBM reported having 264,300 employees across IBM and its wholly owned subsidiaries.
According to federal records, IBM had just over 1,600 H-1B petitions approved in fiscal year 2026, compared to over 2,000 in FY 2025 and nearly 3,000 in FY 2024. The records are for IBM as a whole, meaning they alone wouldn’t determine how many IBM Consulting employees are being sponsored. The figures may also not represent new workers, as they can refer to amended or extended applications for existing employees.
Bloomberg reported that employees affected by the change can continue working for IBM outside the US or leave the company by the end of the year.
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