The Trump administration rocked the local tech world yesterday when Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft of fraud and suspended the company from a program that helps transition foreign workers on H-1B visas to permanent U.S. residency.
Microsoft says the administration has misinterpreted its use of the program. KUOW’s Kim Malcolm spoke to Jessica Fu, who reported the story for The Seattle Times.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Kim Malcolm: For those not familiar with these H-1B visas, can you explain who typically qualifies for them and who uses them?
Jessica Fu: Typically, it is people with advanced degrees and with highly specialized knowledge that qualify for H-1B status. As a result, a lot of tech companies and people who graduated with degrees in STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math] are the beneficiaries of the program.
A lot of Seattle-area tech…
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