IBM has announced it will stop sponsoring US foreign worker visas and green cards for most roles in IBM Consulting, its largest division.

The company framed the move as a response to shifting demands, saying participation in US high-skilled visa programmes had been declining for years 'as skill availability and client needs have evolved.'

The decision lands amid an aggressive White House push against high-skilled immigration.

The Trump administration announced a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions, and in October suspended companies including Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services from the green card programme, citing fraud claims.

President Trump has claimed the H-1B programme is often subject to fraud and takes work from skilled Americans.

IBM's reliance on the H-1B programme has already fallen sharply: according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services data cited by Al Jazeera, only 1,611 H-1B petitions were approved for the company in fiscal year 2026. Still, the human stakes are significant.

According to a document shared with managers and seen by Bloomberg and reported by Business Today, affected employees can either continue working for IBM outside the US or leave the company at the end of the year.

Business Today also reports IBM's shares fell about 1% on Tuesday morning after the news.

The move also reflects IBM's broader reshaping. Business Today notes the company has been repositioning itself as a high-growth software business through major acquisitions including Red Hat, HashiCorp and Confluent, while its consulting division has grown largely flat since 2024.

With tighter visa rules raising the cost of foreign hires, the company appears to be aligning its staffing strategy with that pivot.

The Trump administration has also proposed changes to the H-1B lottery that would give priority to companies offering higher salaries, signaling continued pressure ahead.