{"id":2903,"date":"2026-10-24T08:33:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T08:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/24\/us-suspends-perm-hiring-indian-tech-workers\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T08:33:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T08:33:42","slug":"us-suspends-perm-hiring-indian-tech-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/24\/us-suspends-perm-hiring-indian-tech-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"US suspends PERM hiring for eight tech firms, hitting Indian H\u20111B workers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Washington announced this month that it will freeze new and pending applications under the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) program for eight large technology firms. The decision bars the companies from hiring skilled foreign workers on a permanent basis through the widely used PERM pathway, a step that directly affects Indian professionals who dominate the H\u20111B visa pool.<\/p>\n<h2>Policy shift and immediate impact<\/h2>\n<p>The eight firms named in the announcement include Microsoft, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro and HCL Technologies, among others. PERM applications for these companies are now on hold, meaning that workers who have been on H\u20111B visas and were counting on the labor\u2011certification process to secure green cards face an abrupt stall.<\/p>\n<p>Indian nationals hold a majority of H\u20111B visas, using the temporary status to work in the United States while pursuing permanent residency through PERM. The suspension arrives amid a broader push by the Trump administration for stricter skilled\u2011worker immigration rules.<\/p>\n<p>Industry experts say the impact on the firms\u2019 bottom lines may be limited because PERM\u2011linked positions represent a small share of overall revenue. HDFC Securities, a brokerage firm, echoed this view, noting that even if higher\u2011paid American workers replace the roles, the financial hit would be modest.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the human cost is described as \u201cintense\u201d by a senior executive at one of the affected companies, who asked to remain anonymous. He explained that many employees have spent years in the United States, only to see their green\u2011card applications stall. Some are prepared to return to India, but their children, raised in the U.S., are reluctant to move.<\/p>\n<p>Data from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) underscores the scale of the backlog: as of December 2025, nearly one\u202fmillion Indian nationals were waiting for employment\u2011based green cards, accounting for 79\u202f% of all pending applications. Projected wait times for highly skilled Indians filing labor\u2011certification petitions range from five to 179\u202fyears, depending on the visa category.<\/p>\n<h2>Industry response and alternative pathways<\/h2>\n<p>India\u2019s technology trade body Nasscom, representing an industry worth roughly $300\u202fbillion, says its members have already reduced reliance on H\u20111B visas and are hiring more locally. Wipro reported that over 80\u202f% of its U.S. workforce is locally sourced. TCS disclosed that its PERM filings were in single digits over the past two years, while Microsoft said most of its H\u20111B petitions aim to retain existing staff rather than bring in new hires.<\/p>\n<p>Business Standard, citing PERM Tracker, noted a steep decline in TCS\u2019s PERM filings\u2014from 1,804 in the year before last, to 513 the previous year, and just two in the 2025\u201126 fiscal year. No PERM records were found for Infosys or Wipro for the same period.<\/p>\n<p>Legal experts point to other immigration routes that bypass PERM. Individuals with extraordinary ability or work that advances U.S. national interests may qualify for special categories. The EB\u20115 investor program also offers permanent residency to those who invest at least $800,000 in eligible U.S. enterprises, though Poorvi Chothani of LawQuest warned that many Indian professionals lack the capital to pursue that option.<\/p>\n<p>Ahmet Gulek, a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford\u2019s Immigration Policy Lab, cautioned that while alternative pathways exist, they are limited and may become targets of future restrictions. He added that moving to a firm not subject to the PERM freeze is uncertain because companies may fear retaliation for hiring foreign talent.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier immigration measures provide context. The Trump administration once imposed a $100,000 fee on certain new H\u20111B petitions, a rule later struck down by federal courts. More recently, a $70,000 fee was proposed for universities recommending international students for a post\u2011study work programme.<\/p>\n<h2>Broader political and social backdrop<\/h2>\n<p>The suspension occurs amid heightened anti\u2011Asian sentiment. Researchers at Stop AAPI Hate reported a sharp rise in online hostility toward South Asian immigrants and H\u20111B holders following the 2024 U.S. election. Vice President JD Vance referred to foreign professionals on H\u20111B visas as \u201cforeign indentured servants,\u201d a phrase that India\u2019s foreign ministry condemned as \u201cunwarranted\u201d and \u201cdeeply offensive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the rhetoric, industry leaders argue that America\u2019s demand for Indian tech talent remains strong. Some executives suggest that, rather than losing jobs to U.S. workers, companies may shift work offshore to India, leveraging cost arbitrage and the post\u2011COVID acceptance of remote work.<\/p>\n<p>Immigration scholars anticipate that the PERM freeze could face legal challenges in federal court, as previous restrictions have. Even if the suspension endures, the broader trend points to a more restrictive climate for those seeking to study, work, or settle in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>One Indian professional, who asked to remain anonymous, described the situation as a \u201clong\u2011standing\u201d obstacle, noting that both major U.S. parties agree immigration law needs reform, though they differ on the approach. He warned that the combined effect of policy changes, visa backlogs and rising anti\u2011immigrant sentiment may prompt some skilled workers to reconsider long\u2011term plans in the United States.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States has halted permanent\u2011labor\u2011certification (PERM) applications for eight major tech firms, a move that threatens the green\u2011card prospects of thousands of Indian professionals on H\u20111B visas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[3237,2779,216,3238,2503,3239],"class_list":["post-2903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-h-1b","tag-immigration","tag-india","tag-perm","tag-tech-industry","tag-us-policy","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2903\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}