Green Card Update: Trump Admin Plans to Overhaul Employer Sponsorship Rules

Source: Newsweek

Published Jul 06, 2026 at 06:26 AM EDT updated Jul 06, 2026 at 09:33 AM EDT


The Trump administration is preparing to tighten the process many U.S. employers use to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency, signaling another potential shift in employment-based immigration policy.

The Department of Labor's (DOL) latest regulatory agenda says the agency plans to overhaul the Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) system—the labor certification process employers typically must complete before sponsoring a worker for an employment-based green card.

The planned changes could affect thousands of employers and foreign professionals seeking permanent residency each year. Because PERM is the foundation of many employment-based green card applications, stricter recruitment rules or more demanding labor-market testing could lengthen already significant processing delays, increase compliance costs for employers and make it more difficult for workers to secure long-term sponsorship.

The proposal also fits into the Trump administration's broader effort to reshape legal immigration programs alongside its crackdown on unauthorized immigration. Newsweek has contacted the DOL for comment via email outside office hours on Monday morning.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/green-card-trump-admin-plans-overhaul-employer-sponsorship-rules-12160389