IBM to end H-1B visa and green card sponsorship for most consulting roles amid Trump's immigration crackdown — Report

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) is discontinuing visa and green card sponsorship for most roles in its largest division, IBM Consulting, amid a broader crackdown by the Donald Trump administration on high-skilled immigration programmes in the US, Bloomberg reported.

The move could affect foreign workers seeking employment-based immigration sponsorship through the technology giant, which has traditionally used US high-skilled visa programmes to address talent shortages.

"We have opted to discontinue visa and green card sponsorship for the majority of such roles in IBM Consulting," Bloomberg cited an IBM spokesperson as saying.

The company said its participation in US high-skilled visa programmes had been aimed at addressing skill shortages. However, participation had been declining for several years as the availability of skilled workers and client requirements evolved, the spokesperson said.

According to a document reviewed by Bloomberg and circulated among managers in the division this week, affected employees will have two options: continue working for IBM outside the US or leave the company at the end of the year.

The development comes amid increased scrutiny of employment-based immigration programmes under the Trump administration, particularly the H-1B visa programme, which allows US employers to hire skilled foreign professionals in specialised occupations.

Technology companies have historically relied on the programme to recruit workers in fields such as software engineering, consulting, artificial intelligence and other specialised roles.

IBM's consulting division has over 150,000 employees

IBM Consulting employs more than 150,000 people, Bloomberg said citing IBM's website.

Since returning to the White House last year, President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on major technology companies to train and hire more American workers.

As part of this push, the Trump administration has sought to make it more difficult for companies to recruit foreign professionals through the H-1B visa programme. The proposed changes include a $100,000 filing fee for most candidates and stricter rules for the annual H-1B visa lottery, giving preference to companies offering higher salaries.

IBM received 1,611 H-1B visa approvals during the 2026 fiscal year, which ended on September 30, the news outlet cited data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This was lower than the 2,045 approvals the company secured in 2025.

Since 2009, IBM has received 27,863 H-1B approvals, ranking it 20th among the programme's sponsors, USCIS data showed, it said.