On May 31, 2026, the Trump administration halted PERM applications for eight major IT firms, including Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Microsoft, Adobe, Capgemini and Cognizant.
PERM, the permanent labor certification pathway, has been a key route for Indian engineers arriving on H‑1B visas; industry analysts estimate that 15,000 professionals rely on it each year to secure permanent residency.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs, slammed the freeze, saying it "undermines mutual economic growth" and will force thousands of skilled workers to return to India.
Jaiswal also rebuked Vice President J.D. Vance's remarks that the program was a "safety net," insisting that Indian professionals are "highly educated and skilled contributors" to the U.S. innovation ecosystem.
India has lodged a formal protest with the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and is preparing a diplomatic exchange aimed at reinstating the PERM pathway before the fiscal year ends.