On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor, led by Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, halted new PERM applications for eight IT firms—Tata, Infosys, HCL, Wipro, Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant and Capgemini—under a fresh anti‑fraud directive. The order was signed in Washington, and it bars the companies from filing new permanent‑labour‑certification petitions until further notice.
Since 2009, the firms have sought permission to hire nearly three million foreign workers, securing more than 230,000 H‑1B visas and over 100,000 PERM certificates, figures U.S. officials say have displaced hundreds of thousands of American jobs. "These firms have taken jobs from American workers," Sonderling said during the announcement.
Nasscom, India’s IT industry body, called the move a targeting of a specific immigration pathway and stressed that immigration and skilled talent mobility are distinct issues. "We will continue to comply with U.S. regulations," said a Nasscom spokesperson.
The firms have responded by ramping up local hiring; Indian tech workers now account for more than 70% of all H‑1B approvals each year. A software engineer in Chicago awaiting a green card now faces uncertainty. "I was told to wait," said Raj, 28, a junior developer who had been on the company’s visa queue.
The suspension is effective until further notice, and U.S. officials will review pending applications. Indian firms expect to lobby Washington for clarification, and Nasscom plans to file a formal appeal by next month.