Govt terms US Green Card programme suspension ‘unwarranted’:What options do Indian IT employees in US have now?

The United States has suspended eight major technology firms, including Tata, Infosys, Wipro, and HCL, from its Green Card labor certification program also known as PERM. The Trump administration stopped processing filings over foreign worker misuse claims, impacting thousands of Indian H-1B visa holders seeking permanent US residency. Q1. What Options Do Indian IT Employees in the US Have Now? Indian IT workers affected by the PERM suspension have four primary options depending on their visa status: Transfer H-1B to a Non-Suspended Organisation: Workers can switch jobs to a US employer that is not on the suspension list. The new employer can file an H-1B transfer petition and initiate a fresh PERM application. Continue Working on Valid H-1B Visa: The suspension does not cancel current H-1B visas. Employees can continue working in the US until their authorized status expires. Seek Self-Petitioned Green Card Pathways: Eligible professionals can apply under visa categories that do not require employer-sponsored PERM filings, such as EB-1A (Extraordinary Ability) or EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver). Relocate to India or Global Centers: Employees can request internal transfers to their company’s offices in India or other international locations while PERM issues are under review. Q2: What Is the Impact on Companies and the Market? For IT Companies: Affected firms may face operational delays, compliance checks, and potential challenges in retaining tech talent in the US. Ex-CEO, HCL Tech, Vineet Nayar says that the direct impact on Indian IT firms could be limited. Echoing him, think tank GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava says that most of operations of IT companies in US is conducted from India and there are now lower number of Indian IT employees working in the US. Indian firms have changed their business model over the years, delivering more work from India while expanding local hiring and training in the U.S. Their U.S. business now relies more on teams in India and local U.S. employees. This reduced dependence may help firms maintain project delivery despite the green-card sponsorship freeze. -GTRI For India: IT firms may shift more software development and project tasks to offshore delivery centers in India, driving local project expansion. How much is US’ share in India’s total IT services exports? Citing RBI data, GTRI says that India’s software and IT-enabled services exports totalled US$221.4 billion in FY2025–26. The U.S. accounted for US$119.7 billion, or 54.1%, making it India’s largest market. But there is a catch. Only 8.3% of operations of IT companies are conducted from America. The remaining 91.7% of operations are conducted from India only. Key Action at a Glance: Q3: How can H-1 B visa suspension be a blessing in disguise for India? US restrictions on Indian technology professionals could encourage American companies to shift more high-value technology work to India, including artificial intelligence (AI), product engineering and cybersecurity, former HCL Technologies CEO Vineet Nayar said. In a post on X, Nayar said the US move to restrict several major technology companies from using the Permanent Labour Certification Program (PERM) could have an unintended impact by accelerating the transfer of technology work to India. Q4: What Is a Visa? A visa is an official government document issued by a country. It grants a foreign citizen legal permission to enter, stay, or work in that country for a specified period and purpose. Q5: What Is an H-1B Visa? An H-1B visa is a temporary work visa issued by the US government. It permits US companies to employ foreign professionals in specialized fields such as information technology, engineering, mathematics, and finance. The visa is typically granted for up to six years. Q6: What is Permanent Labour Certification? It is an important part of the process of obtaining a green card. A company has to show the US government that there is no qualified US worker available for the job for which it wants to hire a foreign employee. It is called Permanent Labour Certification, or PERM for short. Q7: What Is a Green Card? A Green Card, officially called a Permanent Resident Card, is an official document that grants a foreign national legal permission to live and work permanently in the United States. Q8: Who Used to Apply for Green Cards? US employers applied for Green Cards on behalf of eligible foreign workers by submitting a Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) to the US Department of Labor. Approval of PERM verified that no qualified US worker was available for the position, allowing the foreign employee to proceed to final Green Card stages. Q9:How is it linked to a green card? Many foreign employees obtain green cards through employer-sponsored employment. For this, the company usually has to complete the PERM process first. Therefore, a suspension of PERM could halt or delay the further processing of green card applications. Q 10: Does this mean Indians’ green cards have been cancelled? No. The decision does not mean that green cards held by Indian employees have been cancelled. It will mainly affect employees whose green card applications are currently in process or those planning to apply for one. Q 11: What about those who already have a green card? Their green cards will not be cancelled because of this decision. The action mainly affects people whose green card applications are currently being processed or those planning to apply for one. Q12: Is the US decision selective? Yes. The Trump administration’s suspension decisions seems to be selective as it implies to only eight IT firms but there are others too. Think tank, GTRI, founder, Ajay Srivastava says that the Trump adminsitration has left out major H-1B employers such as Amazon, Google, IBM, Meta, Apple, Intel and Accenture from this suspension. Amazon, the largest visa recipient in the supplied ranking, is not included. Neither are Google, IBM, Meta, Apple, Intel or Accenture. -GTRI