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US Suspends Cognizant Green Card Filings Amid Visa Probe
The United States has temporarily stopped Cognizant and Cloudera from starting new PERM applications.
PERM is an important step companies usually take when helping workers apply for permanent residence, also called a Green Card.
It requires an employer to show that hiring a foreign worker will not hurt American workers’ wages or working conditions.
The government says it is investigating possible cheating or misuse of H-1B and PERM programs.
Officials have not explained exactly what Cognizant or Cloudera are accused of doing.
The freeze mainly affects workers whose Green Card cases have not reached the PERM stage.
It does not automatically cancel an employee’s existing H-1B visa.
Indian workers may be especially affected because many already face long Green Card queues.
Other large Indian IT companies have not been included in the announced action, but they could face more scrutiny.
The US Department of Labor suspended new PERM filings by Cognizant and Cloudera amid an investigation into alleged H-1B and labor-certification abuse.
Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito announced the action on September 8, 2026, in coordination with the White House Fraud Task Force and other officials.
Authorities have not disclosed the specific allegations, number of affected applications, or duration of the suspensions.
The freeze could delay employer-sponsored Green Card pathways for Cognizant workers, including Indian technology professionals, but does not automatically cancel existing H-1B status.
Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, and HCLTech have not been publicly named, although the wider investigation could increase scrutiny of technology employers.
- Who
- The US Department of Labor, its Office of Inspector General, Cognizant, Cloudera, and potentially affected foreign workers.
- What
- New PERM filings by Cognizant and Cloudera were suspended during an investigation into alleged fraud and misuse of employment-based immigration programs.
- Where
- The action concerns US employment-based immigration filings; Cognizant is headquartered in New Jersey and was founded in Chennai.
- When
- The suspension was announced on September 8, 2026, after a broader investigation launched in July 2026.
- Why
- Authorities cited alleged fraud, visa-program misuse, wage-related practices, exploitation, and possible harm to American workers.
US enforcement position
Worker and industry concerns
Reason for the investigation
US enforcement position
US officials say alleged fraud, wage practices, exploitation, and displacement of American workers justify investigating the H-1B and PERM systems.
Worker and industry concerns
Workers and companies face uncertainty because authorities have not publicly identified the specific allegations against Cognizant or Cloudera.
Effect of the suspension
US enforcement position
Suspending new filings can prevent potentially improper applications while officials examine recruitment, wages, documentation, and staffing practices.
Worker and industry concerns
The freeze can delay workers’ Green Card cases and prevent them from obtaining a priority date, particularly worsening uncertainty for Indians facing long queues.
Possible industry expansion
US enforcement position
The wider crackdown could bring closer scrutiny to employers using foreign-worker recruitment and offshore-onshore staffing models.
Worker and industry concerns
Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, and HCLTech have not been publicly named, but employees and employers worry that enforcement could spread across the technology sector.
Key facts
- Affected companies
- Cognizant and Cloudera
- Suspended process
- New permanent labor-certification, or PERM, filings
- Announcement date
- September 8, 2026
- Investigating body
- United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General
- Inspector General
- Anthony D’Esposito
- Undisclosed details
- Authorities have not stated the specific allegations, number of affected applications, or suspension duration
- Indian Green Card backlog
- The September 2026 Visa Bulletin listed India’s EB-2 category as unavailable and its EB-3 final-action date as January 1, 2014
- Cognizant workforce
- Cognizant reported 356,700 global employees as of June 2026, including more than 250,000 based in India at the end of 2025
Quotes
Anthony D’Esposito
US Department of Labour Inspector General
“Threats to American workers will NOT be tolerated.”
thehansindia.com
firstpost.com
Sources
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