For millions of Indians the script for the perfect career was familiar: an engineering degree, a job in tech services, a posting in the US, numerous visa extensions and ultimately the green card that gave them permanent status in the country. But that may not last long. The US said earlier this month it will permanently block eight technology businesses including Microsoft, India’s Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and HCL Technologies from hiring talented international workers through a widely used visa route.
The Permanent Labour Certification Program, or PERM, has suspended new and pending applications. This is a severe blow for Indians who hold most of the H-1B visas – a temporary visa for professionals – which they utilised to work in the US while counting on PERM to earn a green card and, eventually, citizenship. The latest announcement is consistent with Trump’s drive to tighten limits on skilled-worker immigration, which tech companies have been adapting to and thus businesses may not be impacted much, experts say.
Nasscom, the trade body of India’s $300bn (£226bn) technology industry, claims Indian companies are recruiting more locally and relying less on H-1B visas.”Therefore, the number of individuals who transfer from H-1B visas to permanent residency through the PERM process likewise is rather limited,” the group notes. Wipro in a statement said it hires over 80% of its US employees domestically. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) said their PERM applications were in single digits in the last two years. In a statement, Microsoft maintained that it filed for H-1B visas mainly to retain current employees, not to import new personnel.
Also Read:
US And China Explore AI Safety Strategy Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
“This is Our Company Nigerians Flaunt Their Oil Windfall Following a Share-Buying Frenzy
