Business · Companies · 1 day ago
Indian IT firms cut green card applications before US program suspensions
The US suspended eight technology companies, including TCS, HCL, Infosys, Wipro and Cognizant, from a labor certification program used in employment-based green card applications.
The government said the program could disadvantage American workers when companies seek permanent residence for foreign workers on H-1B visas.
US employers generally need PERM certification before they can sponsor a foreign worker for an employment-based green card.
The process includes setting a wage and advertising the job to American workers; employers can seek certification if no qualified applicants are found.
Data through June 2026 shows that the named Indian IT firms had sharply fewer PERM approvals than in earlier years, and Cognizant had none in 2025 or 2026.
The companies and NASSCOM say they have reduced reliance on the process and expanded local hiring in the US.
TCS says it plans to hire 15,000 more people in the country over five years and does not expect the suspension to affect its workforce plans or customer work.
The United States suspended eight technology companies from a green card labour certification program, saying the program was undercutting American workers.
Data cited by Hindustan Times shows that several suspended firms had already sharply reduced PERM approvals before the suspensions.
Tata Consultancy Services received two PERM approvals in 2026, compared with 1,804 in fiscal year 2024.
Wipro and Infosys received no PERM approvals in 2026, while Cognizant received none in fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
TCS and NASSCOM said the companies’ reliance on PERM applications was limited and that firms were expanding local hiring in the United States.
- Who
- The US government suspended eight technology companies, including TCS, HCL, Infosys, Wipro and Cognizant.
- What
- The companies were suspended from a labour certification program used in employment-based green card applications.
- When
- The suspensions were announced on Thursday; the article was published on October 10, 2026.
- Where
- The United States.
- Why
- The US government said granting permanent residence to foreign workers on H-1B visas was undercutting American workers.
US government
Technology companies
Program’s impact
US government
The US government said granting permanent residence to foreign workers on H-1B visas was undercutting American workers.
Technology companies
NASSCOM said the number of employees moving from H-1B visas to permanent residency through PERM was relatively limited.
Workforce strategy
US government
The US government cited the effect on American workers as grounds for suspending the companies.
Technology companies
TCS said it was expanding its US workforce and did not expect the suspension to affect its workforce strategy or customer engagements.
As we had announced earlier, we intend to hire an additional 15,000 people in the US over the next five years, to further augment our local workforce. Our PERM applications were in single digits in the last two years, and hence we do not expect the suspension of the program to impact our workforce strategy and customer engagements
However, over a number of years, Indian technology companies have significantly reduced their dependence on H-1B visas, while steadily expanding local hiring and building a strong domestic workforce in the U.S. They work with the majority of the US Fortune 500 companies, enable them to innovate and grow, and generate more local jobs. Consequently, the number of employees transitioning from H-1B visas to permanent residency through the PERM process is also relatively limited
TCS received 1,804 PERM approvals.
The US government suspended eight technology companies from the green card labour certification program.
TCS had received two PERM approvals in 2026, both for applications submitted in 2024.
Hindustan Times published its report on the companies’ PERM approval figures and the suspensions.
- Companies suspended
- Eight technology companies
- TCS approvals
- 2 in 2026, compared with 1,804 in FY 2024
- Wipro approvals
- 0 in 2026, after 506 in FY 2025
- Infosys approvals
- 0 in FY 2025 and FY 2026; 87 in 2024
- HCL approvals
- 66 as of June 30, 2026, for HCL America Inc. and HCL America Solutions
Sources
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