IBM is ending H-1B visa and green card sponsorship for most jobs in IBM Consulting, its biggest division with more than 150,000 people. The company confirmed the change on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, saying its use of US high-skilled visa programs had been "declining for a number of years". Workers affected by the change can keep working for IBM from outside the United States or leave the company at the end of the year, according to an internal document reported by Bloomberg.[1][2][3] Here is what we know, what is still unclear, and the general rules that matter if you hold an H-1B at IBM.
 | |
| Company | IBM (International Business Machines) |
|---|---|
| Unit | IBM Consulting, more than 150,000 people |
| IBM workforce | 264,300 worldwide (2025 annual report) |
| What ends | H-1B visa and green card (PERM) sponsorship for "the majority" of IBM Consulting roles |
| Confirmed | November 10, 2026, by an IBM spokesperson |
| Affected workers | Work for IBM outside the US or leave at year end (Bloomberg) |
| IBM H-1B approvals | 1,611 in FY2026, down from 2,045 in FY2025 (all of IBM) |
| Still unclear | Which roles keep sponsorship; pending green card cases |
What IBM announced
Bloomberg first reported the change on Tuesday after seeing a document shared with managers in the consulting division that week. IBM then confirmed it to several outlets.[1][2][5] The company's statement, sent to Business Insider, Newsweek and others, reads in full:
"IBM Consulting participates in U.S. high-skilled visa programs to address skill shortages. 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."[3][4]
Two points stand out. First, the change covers both the H-1B work visa and the PERM labor certification, which is the first step of the most common employer-sponsored green card route.[4][7] Second, IBM said "the majority" of roles, not all of them. It has not said publicly which consulting jobs will still be sponsored.
Reuters, which also got a statement from IBM, reported that the decision applies to most roles in the company's largest division.[6]
Who is affected
IBM Consulting is by far IBM's biggest unit. The company's website lists more than 150,000 consultants, out of 264,300 employees across IBM and its subsidiaries in the 2025 annual report.[3][6] Only a small share of them are on US work visas.
According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services figures cited by the Hindustan Times, Al Jazeera and Business Insider, IBM had 1,611 H-1B petitions approved in fiscal year 2026, which ended on September 30. That was down from 2,045 the year before.[3][5][6] Business Insider points out that these numbers cover the whole company, not just consulting, and include extensions for people already working there.[3]
Labor Department data cited by Newsweek shows IBM applied for more than 1,100 H-1B visas in fiscal 2026. That is far fewer than Amazon, which applied for more than 13,715 by the third quarter of the same year. Apple, Meta and Microsoft each sought roughly four times IBM's number.[4][7] In other words, IBM is not one of the giant H-1B users, which may be why it could make this change for most roles in one go.
What happens to IBM workers on an H-1B now
Bloomberg reported that affected employees were told they can keep working for IBM from outside the US or leave the company at the end of the year.[2][5] Newsweek said it had asked IBM what happens to people already on an H-1B who can no longer get a green card through the company, and had not received an answer when it published.[4][7] So the details for pending green card cases are still open.
While IBM fills in those gaps, a few general federal rules are worth knowing. They are the same for any H-1B worker, not special to IBM, and how they apply depends on each person's dates and paperwork.
- 60-day grace period. If an H-1B job ends, the worker is not treated as out of status just because the job stopped, for up to 60 days in a row or until the end of the approved stay, whichever comes first. They cannot work during that time unless otherwise authorised.[14]
- H-1B portability. A worker in H-1B status can start with a new employer once that employer files a non-frivolous H-1B petition for them, as long as it is filed before their authorised stay runs out.[15]
- Priority date. An approved I-140 petition generally gives the worker its priority date for a later employment-based petition, unless it was revoked for reasons such as fraud or the labor certification being revoked.[16]
- The 180-day point. If an employer withdraws an I-140 less than 180 days after approval, the petition stops counting. After 180 days, a withdrawal does not end it on that basis alone.[17]
If you are in this position, the safest move is to check your I-94 end date and the approval date of any I-140 now, and speak to an immigration attorney before your status window gets short. Law firms advising workers at the companies suspended from PERM in October gave similar advice: check your I-94 and look at other employers while you still have valid status.[18]
Why now: the skilled-visa crackdown
IBM's move comes during a broad push by the Trump administration against companies that rely on foreign tech workers. It has not been named in any government action itself.[4][7]
The $100,000 fee. On September 19, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation putting a $100,000 fee on many new H-1B petitions.[12][10] A federal court vacated the fee policy on June 8, 2026, and an appeals court refused to put that ruling on hold in July. Trump extended the proclamation in September to run to September 21, 2027, and a second judge blocked the fee again at the end of September.[10][11] Business Insider describes the fee as tied up in the courts.[3]
The wage-weighted lottery. The Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule in December 2025 that replaced the random H-1B cap lottery with a selection weighted towards higher wage levels, used for the fiscal 2027 cap.[13][19]
The PERM suspensions. On October 8, 2026, the Labor Department suspended Microsoft and Adobe from the Permanent Labor Certification program, along with IT services firms including Cognizant, Infosys, Capgemini, Tata, Wipro and HCL. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the department would not accept or process new applications from those companies.[8][2][6] Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft of abusing the system and said: "We want you to continue to grow and to employ a lot of people, but we want you to employ American workers."[4][7][9]
The Justice Department has also reached settlements with Instacart and OpenAI over job adverts in the PERM process that appeared to favour foreign workers, Newsweek and India Today reported.[4][7] For how the AI race is shaking up big tech stocks this week, see Microsoft stock after Anthropic's Claude Sheets launch.
Where this fits for IBM
IBM has spent years reshaping itself around software, buying Red Hat, HashiCorp and Confluent, while growth in consulting has been mostly flat since 2024.[2][5] The company's own explanation is narrower: it says the skills it can find and what clients need have changed, so it needs the visa programs less than it used to.[3][4]
For workers, the more practical comparison is with other big employers cutting or moving roles this month. Qantas is moving about 850 jobs to Accenture, including roles in India, and Boeing is cutting about 5% of its jet workforce.
What to watch next
- Whether IBM publishes which IBM Consulting roles still qualify for sponsorship.
- What IBM says about pending PERM and I-140 cases and current H-1B extensions.
- The exact year-end date for workers who choose to leave, and any relocation terms for those who move abroad.
- Whether other large consulting and IT firms make similar moves, and the next court steps on the $100,000 H-1B fee.
Frequently asked questions
Is IBM stopping all H-1B sponsorship?
No. IBM said it will stop visa and green card sponsorship for "the majority" of roles in IBM Consulting. It did not say the change applies to its software or infrastructure units.[3][4]
When does the change take effect?
IBM has not given a public date. Bloomberg reported that affected workers can keep working for IBM outside the US or leave at the end of the year.[2][5]
What is PERM?
PERM labor certification is the first step of the most common employer-sponsored green card. The employer has to show, by advertising the job in set ways, that no qualified US worker is available.[4][7]
Can an IBM H-1B worker move to another company?
Under the general H-1B portability rule, a new employer can file a petition and the worker can start once it is filed, if their stay is still valid. Each case is different, so speak to an immigration attorney.[15]
Was IBM punished by the government?
No. IBM has not been named in any public government action. Microsoft, Adobe and several IT outsourcing firms were the ones suspended from PERM in October.[4][8]
References
- "IBM to End Immigration Sponsorship for Roles in Biggest Unit". Bloomberg. November 10, 2026.
- "IBM is ending visa and green card sponsorship for some IBM Consulting roles". Quartz. November 10, 2026.
- "IBM is ending immigration sponsorship 'for the majority' of roles in its biggest unit". Business Insider. November 10, 2026.
- "Green Card, H-1B Visa Update: IBM Ending Certain Employee Sponsorships". Newsweek. November 10, 2026.
- "IBM to end visa, green card sponsorship for roles in biggest unit after Trump administration's crackdown". Hindustan Times. November 11, 2026.
- "IBM's biggest division ends most US foreign worker sponsorships". Al Jazeera and Reuters. November 10, 2026.
- "IBM halts H-1B, green card sponsorship for most consulting roles". India Today. November 11, 2026.
- "U.S. suspends Microsoft, Adobe from green card labor program in foreign worker crackdown". CNBC. October 8, 2026.
- "Vance suspends Microsoft, others from foreign workers applying for green cards, alleges visa 'abuse'". Fox Business. October 8, 2026.
- "President Trump Extends $100,000 H-1B Fee, But Policy Currently Vacated by Court Order". Fragomen. September 18, 2026.
- "Second judge blocks Trump's $100,000 fee for new H-1B worker visas". Reuters. September 30, 2026.
- "Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers". The White House. September 19, 2025.
- "DHS Announces Final Rule Establishing Weighted Selection Process for Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions". Ogletree. December 26, 2025.
- "8 CFR 214.1(l)(2): Requirements for admission, extension, and maintenance of status". Legal Information Institute. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- "8 CFR 214.2(h)(2)(i)(H): H-1B portability". Legal Information Institute. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- "8 CFR 204.5(e): Retention of priority date". Legal Information Institute. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- "8 CFR 205.1(a)(3)(iii)(C): Automatic revocation". Legal Information Institute. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- "Employee FAQs: J.D. Vance Announces Immigration Action Against Microsoft and Other Companies". Reddy Neumann Brown PC. October 8, 2026.
- "FY 2027 H-1B Visa Lottery Updates: Wage-Based Weighted Selection Process and $100,000 Fee". Vorys. September 1, 2026.