US suspends major Indian IT firms from green card sponsorship programme

The US Department of Labor has suspended Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe from participating in the Permanent Employment (PERM) green card sponsorship programme, according to official notification from the Trump administration.

The suspension directly affects the permanent residency pathway for thousands of Indian technology professionals currently working in the United States or seeking employment-based immigration sponsorship. Both new and pending green card applications filed by these companies under the PERM programme will face processing delays and complications, legal experts said.

The PERM labour certification is a critical first step in the employment-based green card process, requiring companies to demonstrate that hiring foreign workers will not negatively impact local employment. The suspension effectively blocks these firms from initiating new permanent residency sponsorships for their employees during the enforcement period.

Indian IT services companies have long relied on employment-based immigration pathways to facilitate mobility of their technical talent to the United States. The suspension adds fresh pressure on the sector amid ongoing scrutiny over visa and work authorisation policies for foreign nationals in the American technology industry.