the consequences could be more serious for H-1B workers approaching the six-year limit on their temporary status While the suspension does not automatically invalidate PERM certifications that have already been approved or prevent an employee from obtaining employment-based permanent residence through another employer that is not subject to the suspension.
The eight companies had collectively requested 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, according to Sonderling. The administration also announced investigations into nine universities, including Harvard, Yale and Stanford, over allegations that international students and foreign workers are being used to reduce labour costs or compromise federally funded research.
In more strikes against global companies and foreigners, mainly Indians, accused of “stealing American jobs,” Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling, with veep JD Vance standing alongside, announced that the Department of Labour was suspending Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe from the Permanent Labour Certification, or PERM, program. “That’s hundreds of thousands of jobs that were taken from American workers,” he asserted, declaring that the DOL would not accept any new or process any pending permanent labour certification applications involving these companies. “Our message to Microsoft is: You’re a great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers,” said Veep JD Vance, whose presence at the announcement also gave the action a broader political significance.
The administration has presented the move as part of a broader effort to make American companies hire more US workers. Immigration and foreign-worker policy have become central issues for the administration’s America First agenda, particularly on the eve of mid-term elections, and Vance has emerged as a strong advocate for reducing what he describes as excessive corporate dependence on foreign labour. TOI Correspondent from Washington: The Trump administration on Thursday suspended eight major Indian or strongly India-linked tech companies from the US program used by employers to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residence (green card), a move that could affect tens of thousands of Indian IT professionals.
The regulations permit a suspension for an initial period of up to 180 days and allow it to continue under certain circumstances. Unlike some of the Trump administration’s other immigration initiatives, Thursday’s action does not appear to require the government to first issue a new regulation and seek public comments. Existing DOL regulations give the agency authority to suspend processing of PERM applications when it has reason to believe that an employer, attorney or agent may have engaged in fraud or willful misrepresentation, or when an investigation is under way. However, the affected companies could still challenge the action in federal court.