Microsoft says 80% of H-1B filings were for existing staff

Microsoft said about 80% of the roughly 6,000 H-1B visa applications it filed last fiscal year were for existing employees, responding to Vice President JD Vance’s accusation that the company had displaced American workers with visa holders. The administration suspended Microsoft from a federal program used by employers seeking permanent residency for foreign workers. The company said most of its applications were to extend or change the status of current employees, not to hire new people. It said the remaining filings were for people already legally in the United States who joined Microsoft, and that group amounted to about 1% of its U.S. workforce. Microsoft said it was prepared to provide the administration with additional information. Vance accused Microsoft of laying off 6,000 American workers while replacing them with 6,300 H-1B workers, according to one report. The supplied material does not include employment or visa records establishing the basis for those figures. Microsoft’s response described its filings and compensation practices but did not specifically address the allegation’s numbers.