US to keep denying permanent residence to Microsoft workers: Vance

US Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that Washington will continue to deny Microsoft the ability to apply for permanent residence for workers until the company puts American workers first.

"Thanks to an ongoing investigation, we have decided to suspend the PERM program for Microsoft, which means they will no longer be able to take those H-1Bs and apply for permanent resident status within the United States of America," said Vance in announcing the suspension of the program for Microsoft.

The PERM program is the Labor Department's certification process, a required first step for employers seeking to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency.

"And so, our message to Microsoft is, you’re a great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers. You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants," he added.

Asked at a news conference why President Donald Trump was awarding the nation's top tech medal to Microsoft's CEO despite Vance's harsh words for the company, he said, "Microsoft is a great American company, and we have a great relationship with them."

"They also laid off 6,000 American workers while replacing them with 6,300 H-1Bs, and our message to Microsoft is not that we want to harm your company; it's that we want your company to thrive, but we want it to thrive by employing and empowering your fellow Americans," he said.

"So, we're going to continue to support Microsoft and have a great relationship with Microsoft, but we're also going to deny them the ability to apply for these permanent residencies until they show that they are going to get serious about putting American workers first," he added.