Stories
US Suspends PERM Program for Top Tech Firms Impacting Indian H-1B Green Card Hopefuls
- •The Trump administration has suspended major tech companies including Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Microsoft, Cognizant, HCL, and Capgemini from the US PERM labor certification program.
- •The suspension creates significant hurdles and delays for foreign workers, particularly Indian professionals on H-1B visas, who are seeking employment-based permanent residency.
- •The Labor Department took this action while investigating alleged abuses of the PERM system and recruitment practices, with officials arguing companies should hire more US workers.
- •While affected employees do not automatically lose their H-1B status, their pathway to green cards is temporarily disrupted during the ongoing government investigation.
- •This restriction follows other tightening immigration measures, including a $100,000 payment requirement for certain new H-1B petitions introduced by the administration.
Key Questions Answered
PERM, or Program Electronic Review Management, is a Department of Labor certification process that US employers use to sponsor foreign workers, including H-1B holders, for permanent residency and green cards. It requires employers to demonstrate that no qualified US workers are available for the position and that hiring a foreign worker will not adversely affect local wages.
The US Department of Labor suspended several major tech and IT outsourcing companies from the PERM program, including Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini.
The suspension does not mean existing H-1B workers automatically lose their legal status, but it disrupts or delays the employment-based green card pathway since affected companies cannot process new or pending permanent labour certifications.
