IBM Ends Visa Sponsorship for Most Consulting Roles

The change affects a large share of roles in IBM's largest division amid tighter federal rules on high-skilled work visas.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Immigration

IBM Ends Visa Sponsorship for Most Consulting Roles

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IBM has discontinued visa and green card sponsorship for the majority of roles in IBM Consulting, a division with over 150,000 workers. Impacted workers can continue working for IBM outside the US or leave the company at year end.

Why it matters

The move comes as the Trump administration proposed $100,000 filing fees for most H-1B candidates and suspended Microsoft, Adobe, and six other companies from a US worker visa program. IBM cited declining participation in high-skilled visa programs over several years, along with evolving skill availability and client needs.

The change applies to most roles in a division of over 150,000 workers, while the administration has proposed $100,000 filing fees for most H-1B candidates. The number of affected employees and the final status of the fee proposal remain unclear.

The players

IBM

IBM is a long-established American technology and consulting company whose consulting division is one of its largest business units.

Trump administration

The Trump administration is the current federal government led by President Donald Trump, which has pushed tech companies on US hiring and changed high-skilled visa rules.

Microsoft

Microsoft is a major American software company that was among the firms suspended from a US worker visa program.

Adobe

Adobe is a major American software company that was among the firms suspended from a US worker visa program.

The details

IBM communicated the end of visa and green card sponsorship for most IBM Consulting roles to managers in a document shared this week. Workers already in the US on sponsored visas can keep working for IBM from outside the country or leave the company at the end of the year.

Last year: Trump returned to office and began pressing tech companies on US hiring.
Last month: The administration suspended Microsoft, Adobe, and others from a visa program.
2024: IBM Consulting's growth became largely flat.
Tuesday: IBM shares dipped about 1% in morning trading.
End of the year: Impacted IBM workers may leave the company.

Political Context

The administration's H-1B lottery change favoring the highest-paying sponsors and its proposed $100,000 filing fees set the backdrop for IBM's decision. Critics of these measures have focused on the burden they place on employers that depend on foreign skilled workers.

Foreign nationals on IBM Consulting sponsored visas will need to plan for working outside the US or leaving the company by year end. Employees and job seekers in high-skilled roles should watch how the proposed $100,000 H-1B filing fee and lottery changes affect hiring at similar firms.

The takeaway

The IBM decision shows how federal visa rules can reshape hiring strategies at large employers, with workers in consulting roles facing the most immediate choices. Tracking further changes to H-1B fees and selection rules will indicate how broadly this shift spreads across the tech and consulting sectors.