
US, Oct 9, 2026: The United States on Thursday suspended major IT companies, including Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe, from the Permanent Labour Certification Programme (PERM), which allows employers to seek labour certification required for green card applications for foreign workers, including H-1B visa holders.
The announcement was made by US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling, alongside Vice President J.D. Vance, who heads the US Anti-Fraud Task Force.
“I am hereby suspending from the Permanent Labour Certification Programme some of the largest IT outsourcing firms in the world — Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini,” Sonderling said.
He added that the Department of Labour was also suspending Microsoft and Adobe from the programme.
“We will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labour certification applications involving these companies,” he said.
According to Sonderling, these companies alone had requested nearly three million foreign workers since 2009. They had received more than 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labour certifications during that period, he said.
“Our message to Microsoft is: You’re a great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers,” Vance said.
Under the PERM process, employers must obtain certification from the US Department of Labour confirming that there are no qualified, willing and available American workers for a specific position. This certification is a prerequisite for filing most employment-based green card petitions.
Vance also said that nine universities, including Harvard, Yale and Stanford, would face investigations over allegations that they were bringing in international students to undercut American wages.