India has stated that the US administration’s decision regarding curbs on the PERM programme for green cards “does not advance shared ambitions.”
The steps announced by the US do not advance the shared ambitions of both countries,” the ministry added. India’s remarks come after the US government announced it will suspend Indian technology giants Wipro, Tata, Infosys and HCLTech from a program that allows them to sponsor foreign workers for employment-based green cards. Along with the Indian IT firms, US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling announced that Capgemini, Cognizant, Microsoft and Adobe will also be suspended from the PERM programme.
In a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday, India noted that the Permanent Labour Certification programme (PERM) is distinct from the H-1B visa programme. “I’m sure that everyone here understands the game that is being played. “This is therefore an area of tremendous mutual benefit for the two countries and our expectation is that all stakeholders in this process can appreciate this fact.
Bring in indentured servants from outside the country, you lay off American workers and if you’re a corporation, you make a ton of money by undercutting the wages of American workers, replacing them with people who probably should not be in the United States of America to begin with,” Vance said, stating that H-1B visa holders earned $20,000 less than American citizens working in similar positions. In September 2025, US President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions, which was subsequently blocked by a US court in June this year.
The ministry added that talent mobility adds value to both economies, adding that the movement also helps US companies with “cutting-edge talent, innovation, research, productivity, competitiveness and job creation,” along with creating shareholder wealth in the US.
