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US Suspends Eight Major Employers from PERM Green Card Programme
US Suspends Eight Major Employers from PERM Green Card Programme
Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini Barred from Permanent Labour Certification
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | GCEB1
In an unprecedented move that radically reshapes the employment-based immigration landscape, the United States has suspended eight prominent employers from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme which is considered the sole gateway to sponsored green cards.
The announcement came on Thursday from Vice President J D Vance, Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling and Attorney General Todd Blanche, under the US Anti-Fraud Task Force. The suspended firms are Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini, along with Microsoft and Adobe, the latter two citing multiple active federal investigations. In this context, Sonderling commented: “I am hereby suspending from the Permanent Labour Certification Programme some of the largest IT outsourcing firms in the world, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini.”
The vice president, Mr. Vance, also stood by and supported the move. He further argued: “Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers in 2025 after certifying that it could not find qualified American employees – yet the company was approved for more than 6,000 H-1Bs and filed 3,682 PERM applications, including nearly 1,000 applications for the same positions as the laid off American workers.”
The consequences are immediate. The Department of Labour will neither accept new applications nor process pending ones involving these companies.
Officials defended the action as protection for domestic workers. Sonderling said these firms alone have sought nearly three million foreign workers since 2009, securing over 230,000 H-1B approvals and more than 100,000 labour certifications. Vance alleged Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers in 2025 yet filed 3,682 PERM applications, nearly 1,000 of them for the same positions.
The announcement also widened in scope. Vance announced an investigation into the J-1 research scholar programme as used by nine major universities, and officials are forming a visa fraud strike team.
For the global talent community, the stakes are considerable and its ripple effects are yet to be seen. Indian professionals account for over 70 per cent of approved H-1B petitions annually.
These are allegations and enforcement actions, and many details, including the duration of the suspensions, remain to be clarified. Affected professionals should preserve all immigration records, and consult their employer’s immigration counsel.
GCEB1 will continue monitoring developments and publish verified updates as they emerge.
