{"id":85383,"date":"2026-10-09T16:01:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T16:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/?p=85383"},"modified":"2026-10-09T16:08:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T16:08:45","slug":"us-perm-suspension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/us-perm-suspension\/","title":{"rendered":"US PERM Suspension Hits TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Microsoft &amp; More"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\"><\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">min read<\/span><\/span>\n<p>The US Department of Labor triggered a sweeping PERM suspension on 8 October 2026, cutting off eight major technology and IT outsourcing companies from the Permanent Labour Certification program and freezing new and pending green-card sponsorship for their US employees. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling announced the move, and Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed it the same day at a press briefing covered by<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/10\/08\/microsoft-adobe-green-card-labor-suspension.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> CNBC<\/a>.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68_1 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Content<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #192a3d;color:#192a3d\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #192a3d;color:#192a3d\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/us-perm-suspension\/#The_Companies_and_the_Immediate_Effect\" title=\"The Companies and the Immediate Effect\">The Companies and the Immediate Effect<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/us-perm-suspension\/#The_scale_in_the_Governments_Own_Numbers\" title=\"The scale, in the Government\u2019s Own Numbers\">The scale, in the Government\u2019s Own Numbers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/us-perm-suspension\/#Where_This_PERM_Suspension_Fits_in_the_Bigger_Picture\" title=\"Where This PERM Suspension Fits in the Bigger Picture\">Where This PERM Suspension Fits in the Bigger Picture<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/us-perm-suspension\/#Why_This_PERM_Suspension_Matters_for_Indian_Students\" title=\"Why This PERM Suspension Matters for Indian Students\">Why This PERM Suspension Matters for Indian Students<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/us-perm-suspension\/#What_to_Do_Now\" title=\"What to Do Now\">What to Do Now<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Companies_and_the_Immediate_Effect\"><\/span><strong>The Companies and the Immediate Effect<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Suspended directly by Sonderling: Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCLTech and Capgemini<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Suspended separately: Microsoft and Adobe, over what Sonderling called \u201cmultiple active federal investigations\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Effect: the Department of Labor will not accept new PERM applications or process pending ones from any of these eight companies, according to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.business-standard.com\/world-news\/us-suspends-8-it-firms-from-permanent-labour-certification-programme-126100801495_1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Business Standard\u2019s<\/a> reporting on Sonderling\u2019s statement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>PERM is the step an employer must clear: the company has to prove no qualified US worker is available for the role before a foreign employee can move toward an employment-based green card. This PERM suspension doesn\u2019t touch anyone\u2019s current H-1B status or job. It blocks the next step toward permanent residency, and it\u2019s the broadest such action to date: a single-company PERM suspension hit Cognizant alone in September 2026, but this is the first time the freeze has extended to eight firms, including two American companies, in one announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of publication, none of the eight companies had issued a public statement responding to the suspension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_scale_in_the_Governments_Own_Numbers\"><\/span><strong>The scale, in the Government\u2019s Own Numbers<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The financial footprint behind this PERM suspension is large by Sonderling\u2019s own account: he said that since 2009, the eight companies have collectively requested close to three million foreign workers, and received more than 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labour certifications between them, figures reported by both Business Standard and CNBC, attributed directly to Sonderling rather than independently audited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vance singled out Microsoft by name, saying the company laid off 6,000 American workers last year while receiving 6,300 H-1B visas and close to 3,000 green cards over the same period, figures from Vance\u2019s own briefing that Microsoft has not independently published. \u201cYou\u2019re a great American company, but you have got to hire great American workers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_This_PERM_Suspension_Fits_in_the_Bigger_Picture\"><\/span><strong>Where This PERM Suspension Fits in the Bigger Picture<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This action lands on top of the Rs.95,98,000 ($100,000) one-time fee the Trump administration imposed on new H-1B petitions in September 2025.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Exchange rate used: <\/strong>Rs.95.98 per USD as of October 2026. Verify the current rate before finalizing your budget.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That fee is currently unenforceable. Bloomberg Law reported that a Massachusetts court struck it down in June, and a California federal judge issued a second injunction in September, with Fragomen\u2019s immigration counsel noting the government\u2019s appeal is still pending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_This_PERM_Suspension_Matters_for_Indian_Students\"><\/span><strong>Why This PERM Suspension Matters for Indian Students<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Indian nationals received 283,397 of the 399,395 H-1B visas approved in fiscal year 2024, 71% of the total, and the Indian immigrant population in the US stood at roughly 3.2 million in 2024, the second-largest of any country of origin, according to the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.migrationpolicy.org\/journal\/spotlight\/indian-immigrants-united-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Migration Policy Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Six of the eight suspended companies, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech, Capgemini and Cognizant, are among the largest employers of Indian graduates moving from a US master\u2019s into an H-1B role and, eventually, a green card. If you\u2019re already at one of these firms with a PERM filing in progress, that filing is frozen indefinitely. Your H-1B and your job are unaffected, but your green card timeline just got a lot less predictable. If this PERM suspension affects your employer directly, or you\u2019re weighing a job offer from one of these six firms as a path to long-term US settlement, this is a good moment to ask the employer where their PERM and green card sponsorship plans stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_to_Do_Now\"><\/span><strong>What to Do Now<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re employed at or have an offer from one of the eight named companies and were counting on PERM sponsorship, talk to an immigration attorney or your employer\u2019s immigration team about your specific case. This PERM suspension hits new and pending filings, not approvals finalized before 8 October.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For broader planning: see our guide on<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/highest-paying-jobs-in-usa-for-indians\/\"><em> <\/em><em>job opportunities and pay for Indian professionals in the US<\/em><\/a><em>, and our breakdown of<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/fresher-jobs-in-the-usa-for-indians-latest-job-opportunities-in-the-usa\/\"><em> <\/em><em>fresher job options in the USA for Indians<\/em><\/a><em>. If you\u2019re still at the student-visa stage.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Have questions about US work visas after your degree? <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/webflow_progressive_form?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=in-content-cta&amp;utm_campaign=counselling\"><em>Book a free session with a LeapScholar counselor<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\"><\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">min read<\/span><\/span> The US Department of Labor triggered a sweeping PERM suspension on 8 October 2026, cutting off eight major technology and IT outsourcing companies from the Permanent Labour Certification program and freezing new and pending green-card sponsorship for their US employees. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling announced the move, and Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed it the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":85388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,2],"tags":[3815,3816,3814,3817,3818,3819,3813],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85383"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85383"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85401,"href":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85383\/revisions\/85401"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}