Stories
US Green-Card Freeze Warns Indian IT Sector of Wider Curbs
- •The US government suspended eight major technology companies, including Indian giants TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCLTech, from the Permanent Labour Certification Programme.
- •The freeze impacts PERM-based green-card sponsorships for foreign workers but does not directly cancel existing H-1B statuses or standard visa applications.
- •The US market remains crucial for India, accounting for USD 119.7 billion or 54.1 percent of its total software and IT-enabled services exports.
- •GTRI recommends that Indian firms diversify export markets, strengthen offshore delivery from India, and focus on artificial intelligence and higher-value technology work.
Key Questions Answered
The US government suspended new and pending green-card sponsorship applications under the PERM programme for eight technology companies: Indian IT firms Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, and HCLTech, along with Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, and Capgemini.
The suspension stops companies from filing new Permanent Labour Certification Programme applications required for employment-based green cards. However, it does not stop them from applying for H-1B visas under standard rules or cancel the current H-1B status of existing workers.
The GTRI report recommended that Indian IT companies diversify their export markets, strengthen service delivery directly from India, expand local hiring within the US when necessary, and focus more on artificial intelligence and high-value technology work to lower vulnerability to sudden US policy shifts.
