US Suspends Indian IT Majors From Green Card Programme, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The US government suspended several major Indian IT firms, including Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, and HCL, from the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM).
• The suspension was announced by US Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling, citing alleged fraud and the displacement of American workers.
• Microsoft and Adobe were also suspended from the program.
• The move impacts Indian professionals seeking permanent residency in the US through these companies.

US PERM Access.jpg

Detailed Insights:

• The PERM program is a crucial system used by US employers to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency, with many Indian IT companies relying on it.
• The US administration under Donald Trump intensified scrutiny on foreign worker programs like H-1B and PERM, emphasizing a "hire American" policy.
• The suspension means affected employees cannot make fresh PERM filings, delaying their ability to secure a priority date for an employment-based Green Card.
• This is particularly impactful for Indian workers who already face significant backlogs due to country-specific limits on Green Cards.
• Inability to initiate the PERM process can also affect H-1B visa holders nearing their six-year limit, as PERM filing can allow for extensions.
• The US authorities alleged that these companies requested permanent residency for nearly a million foreign workers since 2009, leading to hundreds of thousands of jobs "taken from American workers."

Key Concepts Involved:

• Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM): A process administered by the US Department of Labor requiring employers to prove no qualified US workers are available before hiring foreign workers for permanent roles.
• H-1B Visa: A non-immigrant visa allowing US employers to temporarily employ foreign professionals in specialty occupations.
• Green Card: Officially a Permanent Resident Card, it grants foreign nationals permanent residency in the United States.
• Priority Date: The date a PERM application is accepted by the Department of Labor, determining an applicant's place in the queue for an employment-based Green Card.