Google Resumes Green Card Sponsorship

Google has announced that it will resume reviewing green card sponsorship applications for its foreign employees starting in 2026, ending a suspension that lasted nearly three years.

The decision was communicated to staff through an internal memo and follows Google’s move in January 2023 to halt most permanent residency applications amid a wave of mass layoffs that affected thousands of employees, according to Newsweek.

Under the updated plan, Google said it will significantly increase the number of applications filed through the Program Electronic Review Management system, known as PERM, which is the primary pathway for employer-sponsored permanent residency in the United States. During 2025, the company limited PERM submissions to a small number of exceptional cases.

The resumption of green card sponsorship is expected to affect a large segment of Google’s international workforce and signals renewed confidence in long-term hiring and retention after a prolonged period of restructuring in the global tech sector.

Google’s decision comes at a time when competition for highly skilled foreign talent remains intense across the US technology industry, and immigration policy continues to play a critical role in workforce planning for major multinational companies.