Indian IT professionals in the US could face delays in employer-sponsored green-card processing after the suspension (Img: Pinterest)
Washington: Indian professionals working in the United States on H-1B visas could face fresh uncertainty after the Donald Trump administration suspended several major technology companies from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme, a key step in the employer-sponsored green-card process.
The affected companies include Indian IT majors Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro and HCLTech, along with Cognizant, Capgemini and US technology firms Microsoft and Adobe. The US Department of Labor has said it will stop accepting new and processing pending PERM applications involving the affected companies.
The suspension does not automatically cancel existing H-1B visas. These visas allow eligible foreign professionals to work temporarily in the US, while PERM is part of the process employers generally use to sponsor workers for permanent residency.
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The immediate concern is for employees whose green-card applications depend on new or pending PERM filings by their employers. They may face delays in starting or progressing through the process while the suspension remains in place.
PERM labour certification is generally required before an employer can move forward with certain employment-based green-card applications. The process includes recruitment requirements intended to establish that hiring a foreign worker will not adversely affect US workers.
For Indian professionals, delays can be particularly significant because employment-based green-card demand from India has long faced substantial backlogs. A delayed PERM filing may also affect when an employee can establish a priority date in the green-card queue.
Some workers could face additional complications if their H-1B status is approaching the usual six-year limit. Under certain conditions, US immigration rules allow extensions beyond that period when the employment-based green-card process has reached specified milestones.
Workers who have already progressed further in the green-card process may be in a different position from those who have not yet started PERM. The impact will depend on each employee’s circumstances, application stage and eligibility for extensions.
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Employees at affected companies should check with their employers’ immigration teams or qualified US immigration lawyers about their individual cases. They should confirm whether a PERM application has been filed, identify their current stage in the green-card process and understand whether any extension deadlines are approaching.
The suspension does not mean every Indian H-1B worker at these companies will immediately lose their job or visa status. However, for employees relying on employer-sponsored permanent residency, the move could make an already lengthy process more uncertain.
The full impact will depend on how long the suspension remains in force and how US authorities handle the affected applications.
