The United States Department of Labor placed a suspension on Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) applications for eight companies. The affected firms named in the statement were major Indian IT providers Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and HCL, together with the multinational technology companies Microsoft, Adobe and Capgemini. The MEA noted that the move does not disturb existing H‑1B visas but may influence the green‑card process for workers seeking permanent residency.
On October 9, India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement addressing the PERM suspension. The ministry clarified that while current H‑1B holders remain unaffected, the action could impact pathways to permanent residence. It also emphasized that talent mobility benefits both economies, even as it argued that the US measure does not advance shared ambitions.
The MEA acknowledged that the exchange of skilled professionals brings considerable advantage to India and the United States. It contended that the Department of Labor’s decision does not advance shared ambitions.
It contended that the Department of Labor’s decision does not advance shared ambitions.
The statement took sharp aim at remarks made by US Vice President JD Vance, who had described H‑1B workers as "indentured servants." India’s external affairs office said such language is unwarranted and overlooks the high education and skill levels of Indian professionals employed in the United States.
Vance and DOL took a victory lap yesterday for freezing Microsoft's PERM green card filings. Amazon and Google paused theirs back in 2023. Microsoft filed 3,161, the most in America. The freeze touches none of its H-1Bs. American workers got a press conference. https://t.co/kzuSLcyVHv
Going further, the MEA warned that invoking terminology with painful historical and colonial legacy connotations is deeply offensive. It stressed that such wording ignores the contributions of skilled immigrants to the American economy.
The ministry offered three distinct quotations: first, "This is therefore an area of tremendous mutual benefit for the two countries"; second, "We believe that such descriptions are unwarranted and ignore the fact that Indian professionals in the United States are highly educated and skilled contributors to its economy and innovation ecosystem"; and third, "Resorting to terminology that carries painful historical and colonial legacy connotations is deeply offensive." A press release reiterated the criticism, noting that "India on Friday criticised the United States over its decision to suspend PERM applications involving eight Indian IT firms."
🛂 The US Labor Dept has suspended Microsoft, Adobe and six IT firms from the PERM green-card process. It covers new and pending applications, not existing green cards. The fraud claims are allegations. No findings are published. h/t @RapidResponse47 https://t.co/8uM4bH9Fwz https://t.co/7yqIhZHp0e
The numerical detail supplied is that eight companies were subjected to the PERM halt, and the date of the initial Indian response is October 9.
At present, the exchange reflects India’s criticism of the US PERM suspension and the remarks by JD Vance. The MEA noted that talent mobility benefits both economies.