US Suspends Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Microsoft from PERM Green-Card Programmeਪਰਮ ਗਰੀਨ-ਕਾਰਡ ਪ੍ਰੋਗਰਾਮ ਤੋਂ ਅਮਰੀਕਾ ਨੇ ਕੌਗਨਿਜ਼ੈਂਟ, ਇਨਫੋਸਿਸ, ਟੀਸੀਐਸ, ਮਾਈਕ੍ਰੋਸਾਫਟ ਨੂੰ ਮੁਅੱਤਲ ਕੀਤਾ

The United States on Thursday, October 8, 2026, suspended eight major technology companies — Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe — from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme, the first step companies take when sponsoring foreign workers for employment-based green cards.

What did Washington announce?

US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling announced the suspension with Vice President JD Vance, who heads the administration’s Anti-Fraud Task Force, beside him. “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, adding that Microsoft and Adobe were also being suspended. “We will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labour certification applications involving these companies,” he said.

Sonderling said that since 2009, these companies had requested almost three million foreign workers, received more than 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labour certifications — which he described as “hundreds of thousands of jobs that were taken from American workers.”

Why does this matter for Indian workers?

PERM is the process through which US employers seek labour certification from the Department of Labour as the first step in sponsoring a foreign worker for permanent residency. Employers must generally show that there are no qualified, willing and available American workers for the position. The suspension freezes that pathway for employees of the named companies — but it does not cancel H-1B visas they already hold, and it is an administrative action, not a court finding of fraud against any company.

Indian IT firms have historically been the largest users of the H-1B system, and the move lands amid a broader crackdown: nine US universities, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Brown, are under investigation for alleged misuse of visa programmes, and a separate US House bill proposes fines of up to $250,000 and 10-year bans for serious H-1B violations.

What happens next?

The companies have not lost the ability to employ H-1B workers — only the green-card sponsorship route is frozen for now, covering both new and pending applications. US officials say fraud investigations are continuing alongside the White House anti-fraud task force, and further companies could face scrutiny. Indian IT stocks fell on the news, with investors reading the move as a sector-wide signal rather than a company-specific one.

What is the PERM programme?

It is the US Department of Labour’s Permanent Labour Certification process — the mandatory first step when an employer sponsors a foreign worker for an employment-based green card.

Does the suspension cancel existing H-1B visas?

No. It freezes new and pending PERM applications at the named companies; workers’ existing visas are unaffected.

Which companies are affected?

Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe.

Is this a final fraud ruling?

No — these are administrative suspensions tied to alleged programme abuse. The allegations remain allegations, not judicial findings.