National Treasure or Visa System Abuser? Donald Trump Honors Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella With Tech Award Hours After Suspending His Company From Green Card Program

HOURS BEFORE honoring Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the United States government suspended his company from the H-1B visa program, citing abuse of the US visa system. On Thursday, October 8, 2026, US President Donald Trump honored tech leaders who have contributed to America in one way or another. The ceremony was part of a summit on a new “golden age” of science. A total of six leaders were honored, five of whom were immigrants.

One of the tech leaders awarded was Satya Nadella, an India-born citizen who studied electrical engineering in India before moving to the US for further studies. He joined Microsoft in 1992 and became its chief executive in 2014. However, earlier on the same day, US Vice-President JD Vance said that Microsoft was abusing the visa system to bring foreign workers into the US. Following this, he announced that the company was being suspended from the program that allows firms to apply for green cards for skilled foreign workers on H-1B visas.

Why Did the US Suspend Microsoft From the Green Card Program? 

JD Vance announced Microsoft's suspension at a news conference before the medal ceremony and highlighted that the company was being suspended from a program that allows companies to apply for green cards for skilled foreign workers. The move comes amid a broader crackdown on Microsoft and ongoing tensions between tech companies, skilled immigrants, and the US administration's efforts to reduce the number of foreign workers.

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The US administration has highlighted how hiring skilled workers from foreign countries has affected American workers. During the press conference, Vance said, “Our message to Microsoft is: You’re a great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers.” He further alleged that the company was abusing the US visa system by laying off American workers and hiring “foreign indentured servants.”

During a White House briefing, he said that the company had laid off a total of 6,000 American workers last year while benefiting from 6,300 temporary H-1B worker visas and almost 3,000 green cards for foreign workers. In addition to Microsoft, other companies mentioned in connection with H-1B visa-related concerns included Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Infosys Ltd., Tata, Wipro Ltd., HCL Technologies Ltd., and Capgemini SE.

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Donald Trump Honors Satya Nadella and Other Tech Leaders 

During the October 8 ceremony, a total of six tech leaders were honored by President Donald Trump for their contributions to America. The National Medal of Science was awarded to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Lisa Su, chief executive of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Meanwhile, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation was awarded to Satya Nadella and Michael Dell, chief executive of Dell Technologies. Trump called the group of tech leaders “national treasures.”

While honoring Nadella during the ceremony, President Trump took a flattering approach and did not mention anything about the company's hiring of foreign workers.

“For more than three decades, Satya Nadella has been a key figure in the transformation of Microsoft, revolutionizing the company and empowering businesses, students and consumers from all over the world with some of the most capable software ever built,” Trump said, as quoted by the Associated Press (AP).

During the press conference, Vance was also asked by reporters about the apparent contradiction between the award ceremony and the suspension. He said that the administration wanted to continue supporting the company and maintain a good relationship with Microsoft.

Nadella also thanked Trump for the medal on social media after the ceremony, saying that he looked forward to working with the US government on technology in the future.

Microsoft Responds to JD Vance's H-1B Visa Allegations 

Following JD Vance's announcement of the suspension, Microsoft issued a statement on its website. The company wrote, “We believe in the strength and talent of the American workforce. That is why the vast majority of Microsoft employees in the United States are Americans.” It further said that it would provide any additional information to the administration if needed.

“For example, of the approximately 6,000 H-1B visa applications we submitted in the last fiscal year, 80% were to extend or change the status of existing Microsoft employees. These were not to hire new people,” the company further stated.

It added that the remaining filings were for new employees who were already living legally in the United States and had decided to work for the company. These employees also accounted for only 1% of its US workforce and were not new arrivals from other countries.

Microsoft said that it files H-1B visa petitions for employees who meet the requirements of the visa category and pays them some of the highest compensation in the tech sector. The company also said that it provides equal pay to H-1B visa holders and other employees performing comparable work.

It further added, “Microsoft succeeds as a global technology leader by developing the world’s best technology workforce. We do this by strengthening this country’s talent pipeline, hiring American workers, and attracting the best talent from around the world.”

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

[Rh/VP/HP]

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