2 hrs ago
US Suspends Green Card Filings by Indian IT Firms
The US has stopped several large technology companies from starting some Green Card applications for workers.
The companies named include Cognizant, TCS, Wipro and HCL, and the article also says Microsoft and Adobe are affected.
The government says it is investigating whether foreign-worker programmes were misused and whether American workers lost job opportunities.
PERM is an employer’s required labour-certification step for many work-based Green Cards.
Without a new PERM filing, affected workers cannot begin that step or get a place in the Green Card queue.
This could cause extra delays for Indian workers, who already face long waits.
Some workers nearing the usual six-year H-1B limit could also face added difficulty.
Workers with already approved petitions may be in a different position under the rules described in the article.
The US has suspended PERM filings for Cognizant, TCS, Wipro and HCL, widening scrutiny of employers using foreign-worker programmes.
US officials say the action responds to alleged fraud, wage undercutting and displacement of American workers; the article also names Microsoft and Adobe as suspended.
PERM is an employer-filed labour certification process generally required before sponsorship for an employment-based Green Card.
Affected workers who have not yet filed PERM cannot start that stage or secure a priority date while the suspensions remain in place.
The delay may be especially consequential for Indian workers facing long Green Card queues and, in some cases, approaching the H-1B six-year limit.
- Who
- US authorities and the affected employers, including Cognizant, TCS, Wipro and HCL; the article also names Microsoft and Adobe.
- What
- Suspensions prevent new PERM labour-certification filings for affected employers while the action remains in place.
- Where
- United States.
- When
- The article gives no specific date for the suspensions; it cites a September 2026 Visa Bulletin and an October 8, 2026 statement.
- Why
- US officials say the action is tied to investigations into alleged misuse of worker programmes and concerns about jobs for American workers.
US officials’ rationale
Impact on affected workers
Purpose and effect of the suspensions
US officials’ rationale
Officials say the action addresses alleged fraud and foreign-worker hiring practices they believe have cost Americans job opportunities.
Impact on affected workers
Affected workers cannot start new PERM filings or establish a priority date during the suspension, potentially adding to already lengthy waits.
H-1B implications
US officials’ rationale
The article reports officials’ broader goal of ensuring companies hire American workers.
Impact on affected workers
Workers nearing the normal six-year H-1B limit may face added difficulty if they cannot begin PERM in time; workers with approved petitions may qualify for extensions under applicable rules.
Key facts
- Affected firms named
- Cognizant, TCS, Wipro, HCL, Microsoft and Adobe
- Programme affected
- PERM, the labour-certification process generally used before employment-based Green Card sponsorship
- PERM process
- Employers obtain a prevailing wage determination and conduct prescribed recruitment before filing
- Indian EB-2 status cited
- Listed as unavailable for final action in the September 2026 Visa Bulletin
- Indian EB-3 final-action date cited
- January 1, 2014, in the September 2026 Visa Bulletin
- H-1B relevance
- Some workers nearing the normal six-year limit may be affected because certain extensions depend on timely labour-certification filings
- Officials’ stated rationale
- Investigations into alleged fraud, wage undercutting and displacement of American workers
Quotes
Keith Sonderling
US Labor Department official quoted in the article.
“We obviously want you to thrive in the United States of America. We want people to invest in the United States of America, particularly the American technology sector. We’re the biggest boosters of your industry. We want you to continue to grow and to employ a lot of people, but we want you to employ American workers.”
indianexpress.com
“…we are ending the fraud that has fuelled reliance on foreign labour. President Trump’s Department of Labour will ensure that American businesses now look first to the most talented workforce in the world, and that’s the American worker,”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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