WASHINGTON — The administration of United States President Donald Trump has suspended eight prominent information technology firms from the Permanent Labor Certification Program, halting a vital preliminary stage in the employment-based green card process. The measure targets industry leaders including Tata, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Cognizant, Capgemini, Microsoft, and Adobe. By restricting access to labor certifications, the decision threatens to delay permanent residency applications for thousands of foreign specialists, particularly Indian technology professionals currently employed across the United States.
According to US Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, the Department of Labor will no longer accept fresh applications associated with the eight listed corporations, while all filings currently under review will be placed on hold. The freeze disrupts both prospective candidates preparing their initial submissions and workers whose files are already navigating federal evaluation. A green card grants lawful permanent resident status, permitting foreign nationals to reside and work indefinitely in the United States under federal immigration regulations. Because a significant portion of Indian technology personnel rely on corporate sponsorship to secure long-term residency, a process that regularly requires multiple years of review, the administration’s directive introduces immediate procedural hurdles.
Freeze on permanent labor certification
The suspension directly affects the Permanent Labor Certification Program, commonly known as PERM, which is overseen by the US Department of Labor. Under standard statutory provisions, an employer seeking to sponsor a foreign worker must first prove that no qualified and available American workers can fill the role. Companies are additionally required to establish that hiring foreign talent will not negatively influence the wages and working conditions of similarly employed domestic workers. Securing an approved labor certification serves as an essential foundation for several employment-based green card categories, enabling employers to subsequently advance to immigration petitions and formal residency procedures.
With the suspension now operational, the eight named enterprises cannot initiate new labor filings or advance cases caught in the pipeline. Although federal authorities have not revealed the precise count of workers facing delays, the named corporations maintain substantial workforces throughout the United States. The resulting standstill leaves employees who have already endured lengthy waiting periods facing renewed administrative obstacles, as their applications cannot progress toward final petitions without an active labor review.
Impact on foreign technology specialists
The administration’s measure carries acute consequences for Indian professionals, who represent a major segment of the skilled workforce at companies such as Tata, Infosys, Wipro, and HCL. These employees depend closely on employer-driven immigration channels to remain lawfully in the country over extended careers. The tangible effect of the freeze will vary according to the specific status of each worker’s individual file. Those whose petitions have not yet entered the certification phase must now wait until federal restrictions ease, while professionals with applications actively under review face prolonged delays without clear resolution dates.
At the same time, the regulatory action does not mean that every Indian employee at the affected companies will face automatic visa cancellations or outright green card rejections. The suspension applies exclusively to the Department of Labor certification stage. The specific legal standing of individual staff members will continue to rest on their existing non-immigrant visas, their broader procedural progress, and related immigration standards.
Prolonged uncertainty for skilled workforce
The government’s order introduces an additional layer of unpredictability for foreign professionals seeking to establish permanent roots in the United States. Given the dominant presence of the eight targeted firms in corporate technology services, the halt threatens to stretch processing timelines significantly across the sector. For corporate leadership and their foreign employees, the primary concern remains how long the federal suspension will remain in place and under what terms the labor certification pipeline will be allowed to reopen.
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