Business & Finance
IBM ends visa and green card sponsorship for most consulting roles
Affected employees can work for IBM outside the US or leave the company by year-end.
The short version
- IBM will end visa and green card sponsorship for most roles in IBM Consulting.[Business Insider]
- IBM Consulting reportedly employs over 150,000 workers, according to IBM's website.[Business Insider]
- Affected employees can keep working for IBM outside the US or leave by year-end.[Business Insider]
- An IBM spokesperson attributed the decision to declining participation in high-skilled visa programs and changing skill and client needs.[Al Jazeera]
Key facts
- IBM will discontinue visa and green card sponsorship for most roles in IBM Consulting.[Business Insider]
- IBM Consulting reportedly employs over 150,000 workers, according to IBM's website.[Business Insider]
- Federal records show IBM had just over 1,600 H-1B petitions approved in fiscal year 2026, down from over 2,000 in FY 2025 and nearly 3,000 in FY 2024.[Business Insider]
- Affected employees can continue working for IBM outside the US or leave by the end of the year.[Business Insider]
- An IBM spokesperson told Reuters that participation in US high-skilled visa programmes had declined for years.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- The number of affected employees is not reported.[Al Jazeera · Business Insider]
- The reporting does not define how many roles fall within the majority or most roles covered by the change.[Business Insider]
- IBM's stated reasons are the company's own account and are not independently verified in the reporting.[Al Jazeera]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.