US suspends PERM applications from eight tech companies — BBC News

Earlier this month, the United States announced the suspension of new and pending applications under the Permanent Labor Certification Program, or PERM, for eight technology companies, including Microsoft, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and HCL Technologies. The restriction concerns a mechanism through which employers can hire qualified foreign specialists on a permanent basis and which is one of the routes to obtaining a green card, BBC News reports.

Consequences for workers from India

The decision could significantly affect Indian nationals, who make up the majority of H-1B visa holders for specialists. For many of them, the PERM procedure was a stage in the transition from a temporary work visa to permanent resident status and subsequently US citizenship.

According to the National Foundation for American Policy, as of December 2025, nearly one million Indian nationals were waiting for employment-based green cards — 79% of all pending applications. The organization projected that for highly skilled Indians filing documents from January 2026, the wait could last from five to 179 years, depending on the category.

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Impact on companies

Indian industry association Nasscom said that technology companies from India have already reduced their reliance on H-1B visas and are hiring more actively in the United States. Wipro said that more than 80% of its US workforce was hired locally, while Tata Consultancy Services stated that over the past two years it had filed a single-digit number of PERM applications. Microsoft said that it had filed H-1B applications primarily to retain existing employees rather than to recruit new ones.

A BBC source from the management of one of the eight companies said that the restriction would not destroy the business, but would have a tangible human impact on employees whose green card applications are not progressing. Experts also note that alternative routes to permanent residence are not available to everyone: in particular, the EB-5 route requires an investment of at least $800,000 in eligible US enterprises.