Microsoft's 60,000-Worker Buyout Adds to H-1B Visa Uncertainty
Summary
Microsoft is offering voluntary exit packages to about 60,000 employees on selected teams in the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom. The offer is not a layoff; eligible employees have until the first week of December to decide whether to accept, as the company’s H-1B hiring practices face scrutiny amid U.S. immigration policy changes.Key Facts
- Microsoft had 223,000 full-time employees worldwide as of June 30.
- Employees at vice president level and below on selected teams are eligible for the buyout offer.
- Eligible teams include AI experiences, Copilot, finance, human resources, Xbox, and Windows + Devices; some divisions are excluded.
- The exit packages are expected to be similar to Microsoft’s standard severance package.
- Microsoft announced 4,800 job cuts in July and previously offered voluntary departures to about 9,000 U.S. employees.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data showed Microsoft received 6,258 H-1B approvals in fiscal 2025, the third-highest total among sponsors identified in the report.
- Microsoft said about 6,000 H-1B petitions it submitted in the last fiscal year mostly involved current employees; it said 80 percent sought extensions or changes in status.
- The Trump administration suspended Microsoft and seven other technology and consulting companies from the Labor Department’s PERM program, which lets employers sponsor foreign workers for permanent residence.
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