Eight big technology companies have been barred from using the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme in the United States, a crucial part of the employer-sponsored green card process.
The announcement, made on October 8, 2026, will mean that neither new nor pending applications of PERM applications will be accepted by the US Department of Labour for these companies. This ruling has brought a concern in the heads of Indian professionals looking to relocate to the US. It is essential to understand the US green card filing suspension and its implications for Indian IT workers in order to know who might be affected, what the categories are, and how they may impact future green card plans.
Which IT Companies Are Affected?
The eight companies are Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Cognizant, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe. The move was announced by US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling, along with Vice President JD Vance, as part of tougher regulations on skilled-worker immigration programmes by the Trump administration.
The administration claims some firms have resorted to hiring that hurts American workers. Reuters reported that the eight companies had been applying for almost three million foreign labourers since 2009. By this point, they had already garnered more than 230,000 approvals for H-1B visas and more than 100,000 permanent labour certifications. These are indicators of the size of the companies’ participation in employment-based immigration to the United States.
What Is the PERM Programme?
The US Department of Labour administers a labour certification process called PERM. It’s a way for qualified employers to make an important move towards sponsoring foreign workers to become permanent residents.
The department shall not issue a certificate before it is assured that there are not sufficient qualified and available American workers for the work. It must also guarantee that it will not jeopardize the jobs and labor conditions of other Americans who are doing the same work.
PERM is different from the H-1B visa. The H-1B enables foreign professionals with skilled expertise to come to work temporarily in the United States and PERM is a crucial step in numerous employment-based green card cases.
What Does This Mean for Indian Workers?
This suspension may cause green card cases for Indian employees with pending PERM cases with the impacted companies to be delayed. It may take workers a bit longer in temporary immigration status to consider the possibilities they may have for their situation.
The notice of change in status does not, however, revoke H-1B status automatically. It is also not a blanket cancellation of all green card applications of Indian professionals. The first limitation is that of new and pending PERM applications with the named firms.
Before deciding on their jobs or residence in America, employees should verify their case with their company’s immigration department or immigration counsel in the United States.
How Has TCS Responded?
TCS has said there will be no significant impact on its employment strategy or client work in the US due to the suspension on October 9. The company stated that its PERM applications were in the single digits in the last two years.
TCS also confirmed it will recruit an additional 15,000 workers in the US over the next five years, indicating a preference to go with local hiring.
The broader effects will rely upon how long the suspension lasts and if the impacted companies are able to be able to resume PERM filings. The relocation will add to an already tricky pathway for Indian tech personnel to obtain permanent residency in the United States.
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