NEW DELHI: The Trump administration has stepped up its crackdown on the US immigration system, suspending major technology companies including Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, Capgemini and HCL from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme amid allegations of abuse of H-1B visas and the employment of foreign workers.US Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft of laying off thousands of American workers while simultaneously benefiting from thousands of H-1B visas and green cards. The administration has also put nine universities under investigation over alleged misuse of visa-related programmes, adding to growing uncertainty for foreign workers and international students in the US.Announcing Microsoft’s suspension from the PERM programme, Vance said the company had laid off 6,000 American workers while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards.“There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused the system more than Microsoft.”“If you do the math, for every worker that Microsoft laid off, they replaced that worker with one and a half foreign indentured servants,” Vance said at a White House news conference.Vance also accused companies of using foreign workers to undercut American employees, saying: “This is a fundamental INSULT to the American worker and to the American way of life. We CANNOT allow visa programs that were designed to ensure that American corporations had access to the best and the brightest, to use them to undercut the wages of American workers!”The H-1B programme allows US employers to hire foreign workers for specialised jobs for which they say qualified American workers are unavailable. Technology companies are among its biggest users, with nearly three-quarters of approvals going to workers from India.The PERM programme is a key step in the employment-based green card process. Under it, the US Department of Labor determines whether hiring a foreign worker would adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed American workers. Once certified, the employer can proceed with an immigrant petition to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.The latest action follows another move by the Trump administration targeting international students. The Department of Homeland Security has proposed a $70,000 fee for students seeking work through the Optional Practical Training programme.Vance said the administration would distinguish between highly skilled workers and cases where foreign employees are allegedly used to replace American workers.“Now it’s one thing if you want to bring in a person like @ElonMusk …but if you’re bringing in an accountant who’s making $40K a year and you use that foreign indentured servant making to replace an American worker who was making $70K a year, you’re not bringing in a genius to build a great American corporation. You’re committing FRAUD!”