US President Donald Trump.
Announced on October 8, 2026, the move covers Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini. US Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the eight companies had collectively sought almost three million foreign workers since 2009, received more than 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and obtained more than 100,000 permanent labour certifications. Vance accused Microsoft of laying off 6,000 American workers in 2025 while receiving thousands of H-1B approvals and pursuing green cards for foreign workers. Microsoft responded that approximately 80% of its H-1B applications in the last fiscal year were for extensions or changes in the status of existing employees, rather than new hires. Amazon was reported to be the largest employer of approved H-1B beneficiaries in fiscal 2026, followed by TCS, Infosys, Apple and Microsoft.
Also read – Green Cards red-carded: MAGA benches India-linked IT firms from PERM process HCL Technologies is also included in the list announced by the US Labor Department. Employees who already hold green cards: The announced action does not automatically cancel the permanent residency of employees who already hold green cards. The eight-company list is specific to the announced PERM suspension. Reuters reported that Amazon, Meta and Alphabet’s Google were not named in this particular action.
The US Department of Labor has said it will neither accept new Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) applications involving these companies nor process their pending applications. The administration has cited alleged abuse of employment-based immigration programmes and the need to protect American workers. The suspension could delay the green card applications of employees whose cases have not moved beyond the PERM stage. The immediate implications will depend on the status of each employee’s immigration case. Capgemini: Capgemini, a French IT services and consulting company, completes the list. Its PERM applications are included in the suspension. Employees relying on the company for employer-sponsored permanent residency could face uncertainty over when their applications can progress. PERM stands for Permanent Labor Certification. It is not a visa itself but a process administered by the US Department of Labor that employers generally need to complete before sponsoring a foreign worker for an employment-based green card in many categories. The suspension concerns the specified PERM process rather than automatically revoking existing permanent resident status. These are general implications, not a determination of an individual’s immigration status. The administration has framed the suspension as part of its effort to prevent immigration fraud and protect American workers. The administration cited these figures to explain the scale of foreign-worker sponsorship by the firms. The absence of other technology companies from this particular list does not mean they are exempt from all US immigration rules or investigations. It means they were not among the eight firms identified in this announcement. Check the exact stage of the case: Employees should establish whether their employer has not yet filed a PERM application, has a pending application or has already received certification. The stage of the case will help determine how the suspension may affect their next steps. Check H-1B validity: Workers should review their current immigration status and visa-related deadlines rather than assuming the PERM suspension itself cancels their work authorisation. They must continue to meet the requirements applicable to their status.
Reuters reported that the company declined to comment following the announcement.
US officials said both companies were being suspended amid multiple active federal investigations. Adobe was named alongside Microsoft in the suspension. The action places the software company among the firms whose PERM applications will not be accepted or processed during the suspension. Cognizant, an IT services and consulting company, had already faced a suspension of its US green card filings in September amid a probe into possible employment-visa fraud. The latest announcement places it among the eight firms covered by the wider action. Infosys is among the Indian technology companies affected by the suspension. Its PERM applications are covered by the order, potentially delaying employer-sponsored green card cases that have not cleared this stage. The development could complicate permanent residency plans for employees whose applications are awaiting processing. Tata Consultancy Services: TCS is included in the suspension of PERM applications. The action affects the employment-based green card process covered by the order, rather than automatically cancelling existing work authorisation. Wipro, another Indian IT services and consulting company, is among the firms whose new and pending PERM applications are covered by the US action. Employees relying on the company for green card sponsorship could face delays in progressing through the employer-sponsored permanent residency process.
Because the department has said it will neither accept new PERM applications nor process pending ones involving them, the suspension disrupts this route for the eight named companies. The suspension does not mean that every employee at the eight companies has lost their visa or green card. The US administration’s decision to suspend eight major technology companies from the employment-based green card process could leave thousands of foreign professionals, including Indian IT workers, facing fresh uncertainty over their long-term future in the country. The process requires an employer to establish that there are not enough qualified, willing and available American workers for the position and that hiring a foreign worker will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed US workers. The process typically begins with an employer identifying a permanent, full-time position and establishing its requirements. The employer then obtains a prevailing wage determination and conducts the required recruitment and advertising to seek qualified American workers. After completing the recruitment requirements, the employer files the PERM application with the Department of Labor. If the application is certified, the employer can proceed to the relevant employment-based immigrant petition and subsequent green card steps. Seek guidance from the employer’s immigration team: Affected employees should ask their employer’s immigration team whether their cases are covered by the suspension and whether any alternative route is available. They should seek advice based on their individual circumstances rather than relying on general interpretations of the announcement. Seek qualified immigration advice if approaching the six-year limit: Employees nearing the standard H-1B limit should establish whether they qualify for an extension and what requirements apply to their cases. Eligibility depends on their immigration history and the stage of the employment-based green card process. Do not assume a job change automatically transfers a case: A different employer may offer another route to permanent residence, but the existing application does not automatically transfer. Employees should establish whether a new employer can sponsor them and whether the applicable immigration rules permit the proposed route. It does, however, interrupt a key route to permanent residence for affected employer-sponsored cases. The immediate uncertainty is greatest for workers whose applications are pending or whose employers have not yet filed PERM. Employees approaching the H-1B time limit may also need to assess their options carefully. The next steps will depend on the duration of the suspension, any legal challenges and the stage of each worker’s immigration case. Until further clarity emerges, affected professionals will need to distinguish between the suspension of the green card labour certification process and the separate rules governing their existing immigration status. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
Microsoft said around 80% of its H-1B applications in the last fiscal year were for existing employees. The Times of India reported that existing Labor Department regulations allow an initial suspension of up to 180 days in specified circumstances, with continuation possible under certain conditions. Reuters reported that the administration had previously imposed a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions for workers hired from abroad.
Because the administration’s figures measure foreign-worker applications, approvals and labour certifications, the distinction is important. They do not, by themselves, establish that an equivalent number of American workers lost jobs. The Times of India reported that industry veterans disputed the inference that the figures demonstrated that hundreds of thousands of jobs had been taken from Americans. The Associated Press has also reported additional scrutiny of visa programmes used by international students and foreign workers.
Vice President JD Vance said the suspensions would last “as long as it needs to”. The decision does not automatically cancel existing green cards or terminate employees’ H-1B visas. Its immediate impact is on the PERM process, a key step in obtaining many employer-sponsored green cards. The consequences for individual workers will depend on the stage of their immigration cases and their employers’ circumstances. Microsoft was singled out by US Vice President JD Vance, who accused the company of laying off American workers while obtaining H-1B approvals and pursuing green cards for foreign employees. Pending PERM applications could remain on hold: Employees whose employers have submitted PERM applications but have not received a decision could face delays. The reports did not provide a clear date for when processing might resume. For workers who have already spent months or years progressing through the employment-based immigration system, the suspension could delay their plans to obtain permanent residency. The eventual impact will depend on how long the action remains in force and the stage their cases have reached. Existing H-1B visas are not automatically cancelled: The action targets the PERM green card process. It does not, by itself, cancel an employee’s existing H-1B status or immediately bar the affected companies from employing foreign workers. Employees must continue to comply with the conditions and expiry dates of their individual immigration status. The PERM suspension should not be interpreted as an automatic cancellation of all work visas held by employees of the eight companies. However, the next steps for employees will depend on the precise stage of their green card cases and the rules applicable to those cases. A worker whose PERM certification has already been approved is in a different position from someone whose application is awaiting a decision or has not yet been filed. Employees should establish the status of their cases before drawing conclusions about how the suspension affects them. Switching employers may be an option for some workers: Some employees may be able to pursue employment-based permanent residence through another employer that is not subject to the suspension. However, an existing green card application does not automatically transfer to a new employer. Eligibility will depend on the individual circumstances and applicable immigration rules. Employees considering a job change will need to determine whether a new employer can sponsor them and whether their existing immigration history provides any alternative route. Workers nearing the six-year H-1B limit face greater uncertainty: The suspension could create additional complications for certain H-1B workers approaching the standard six-year limit. Some employees can qualify for extensions beyond six years based on the progress of their employment-based green card process. Delays in starting or advancing that process could complicate matters for workers who need to meet specific requirements to qualify for such extensions. The impact will depend on their immigration history, the stage of their green card applications and the applicable extension rules. Companies could challenge the suspension: The affected companies could challenge the decision in federal court. However, the precise duration of the current suspension and whether the companies will pursue legal action remain uncertain. Any court challenge or subsequent government decision could affect the timeline for processing applications. Workers with pending PERM applications: Employees whose applications are awaiting decisions are among those facing immediate uncertainty. Their cases could remain unprocessed while the suspension is in force, delaying progress towards permanent residency. Workers whose employers have not yet filed PERM: Employees whose green card sponsorship process has not reached the filing stage may be unable to begin the usual PERM route through their current employer while the suspension remains in force. H-1B workers approaching the six-year limit: Workers nearing the standard six-year H-1B limit could face additional complications if delays prevent them from meeting the requirements for extensions beyond that period. Their position will depend on the stage of their green card process and their eligibility under the applicable rules. Workers with approved PERM certifications: Employees whose PERM certifications have already been approved are in a different position from those with pending applications. The suspension does not automatically invalidate existing approvals, although the next steps will depend on the status of their cases. The action also comes amid a wider crackdown on skilled-worker immigration.
Previously approved PERM certifications are not automatically invalidated: The suspension does not automatically undo certifications that have already been approved.