Vance said Microsoft is being suspended from the programme that lets employers apply for green cards for H-1B workers, citing widespread abuse (Reuters, AP). Mint reports a suspension of the work-visa route for Indian IT firms, and the Economic Times says Infosys and Wipro are among eight companies affected. PERM is the labour-certification stage before permanent-residence sponsorship. Reuters ran an explainer on the attacks on the skilled-worker green-card route. In September the Labor Department's inspector general suspended Cognizant's PERM filings (The Week, Upstox). The full list of eight and the length of the suspension were not confirmed by a second outlet.
Indian nationals hold most H-1B visas and already wait many years for green cards. A freeze at their employers adds uncertainty for families and for the IT firms' hiring and costs.
If you are on the green-card path at an affected employer, ask HR what the suspension means for your case, and avoid travel or job changes until it is clear. Students and graduates should also note the OPT fee proposal from the previous week.
Abuse of a visa route harms workers and honest employers, and the government is entitled to police it.
Suspending whole companies punishes thousands of workers who followed the rules, and Indian professionals pay the highest price.
Watch for the official notice naming the eight firms and its duration. A short, targeted suspension is a compliance story; a long one makes it a hiring story for the whole sector.
Reuters · AP · Mint · The Economic Times · Hindustan Times · The Week · Upstox (Oct 8–9)
US suspends Microsoft from the green-card filing programme; Infosys and Wipro among eight firms hit, ET reports
Vance cites "widespread abuse" of the H-1B route. Indian IT companies are bracing for a wider freeze as workers' permanent-residence plans go on hold.
US official Vance said on Thursday that Microsoft is being suspended from the programme that lets employers apply for green cards on behalf of workers on H-1B visas, Reuters and AP reported. Vance cited widespread abuse of the system. Mint calls it a suspension of the work-visa route for Indian IT firms as well, and the Economic Times reports that Infosys and Wipro are among eight companies hit. The step concerns PERM, the labour-certification stage that employers must clear before they can sponsor a worker for permanent residence. Each company's exact status, and the full list of eight, were not yet confirmed by a second outlet when we closed the page.
Why Indian readers should care: Indian nationals hold most H-1B visas, and the green-card queue for them already runs for many years. A freeze at their employers can leave families waiting with no filing date to hold on to. Reuters carried an explainer on how the skilled-worker green-card route has come under attack from the Trump administration, and Mint published a primer on PERM. As background, the US Labor Department's inspector general suspended Cognizant's PERM filings in September, according to The Week and Upstox, so the latest step looks like a widening of scrutiny rather than a one-off. On the markets side, TCS began the earnings season on Thursday with a marginal beat on second-quarter revenue and a pointer to AI demand, Reuters said. Whether any Indian IT firm will formally be named on the list, and for how long the suspensions last, is the question for the days ahead. Employees on the green-card path should check with their employers before making travel or job-change plans. The timing is awkward for the sector. Indian equities had their worst day in about three months on Thursday, with the Nifty falling to an 18-month closing low, and Wall Street also ended lower as yields and oil rose. IT stocks that depend on US clients may open under pressure today if the list of firms is confirmed. Companies usually respond to such suspensions by asking employees to hold travel plans, and by seeking a review with the authorities. For readers outside the industry, the story is also a reminder that India's largest services export rests on visa rules that can change within a day. DailyDrop will update the list as soon as a second outlet confirms the names, the scope of the suspension and its duration.