IBM stops H-1B and green card sponsorship for most consulting roles: what Indian techies should know

13 Nov 2026 · By Amol Pagar

IBM has stopped sponsoring H-1B visas and green cards for most roles in IBM Consulting, its largest business. An IBM spokesperson confirmed the decision to Newsweek on 10 November 2026, after Bloomberg first reported it based on an internal document.

The change matters a lot for India. About 70% of H-1B petitions approved in fiscal 2025 went to workers born in India, according to US government data cited by IBTimes UK. For many Indian IT professionals, a consulting role with a large firm has been one of the most common routes to working in the US.

What exactly has changed

• No new H-1B applications for most IBM Consulting roles in the US.
• No new green card sponsorship for these roles. IBM will stop filing PERM labour certification, which is the first step in the most common employer-sponsored green card route.
• Affected staff have a choice: according to Bloomberg's report, workers were told they can keep working for IBM from outside the US or leave the company at the end of the year.

IBM has not said how many employees are affected or which job titles are covered. The change is reported for IBM Consulting; reports do not say it applies to IBM's other businesses.

What IBM says

The IBM spokesperson said the consulting business has used US high-skilled visa programmes to fill skill gaps, but its use of them has been falling for several years. As skill availability and client needs changed, IBM decided to "discontinue visa and green card sponsorship for the majority of such roles in IBM Consulting."

IBM filed more than 1,100 H-1B applications in fiscal year 2026, which ended on 30 September, according to Newsweek. That is far fewer than some big tech firms. Amazon, for example, filed about 11 times as many in the first nine months of the same year.

Why this is happening now

The decision comes as the US government looks more closely at the H-1B programme and employer-sponsored green cards. In October, US Vice President JD Vance said the administration wants tech companies to hire American workers, and the US Labor Department paused PERM green card applications involving Microsoft and several other companies over alleged misuse of the process. Newsweek reports that the administration has not commented on IBM's decision.

What is still unclear

• How many people are affected.
• What happens to employees already on an H-1B who were hoping for a green card through IBM.
• Whether other large IT and consulting firms will make similar changes.

Under US rules, H-1B workers who lose their job may get a grace period of up to 60 days to find a new sponsor, change their visa status or leave the country. Anyone affected should take advice from an immigration lawyer, not from social media posts.

What this means for you

• If you are planning a US move through consulting: do not count on one employer for visa sponsorship. Ask clearly about sponsorship policy at the offer stage, and get the answer in writing.
• If you are on an H-1B now: keep your documents and pay slips in order, keep your resume ready and know your grace-period rules before you need them.
• If you want to stay in India: global firms continue to hire for consulting, SAP, cloud and data roles in Indian cities. IBM itself has many open roles in India; see recent SAP jobs, IT jobs in Bengaluru and IT jobs in Pune, all linked to official career pages.
• Freshers: this does not change entry-level hiring in India. Focus on strong basics and in-demand skills like cloud, data and SAP; see fresher jobs.

Visa rules change often. Check details on official US government sites before making any career decision.

Sources: Newsweek, 10 November 2026 · IBTimes UK, 12 November 2026 · Bombay Samachar, 11 November 2026

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