Key facts
- Eight technology firms, including Microsoft, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, and HCL Technologies, are suspended from hiring skilled international workers permanently via PERM.
- The PERM program freeze impacts Indian tech workers who rely on H-1B visas for temporary work while awaiting green cards.
- Indian companies have reduced reliance on H-1B visas, with Wipro hiring over 80% locally and TCS having minimal PERM applications.
- Anti-South Asian online sentiment has increased, with Indian immigrants and H-1B visa holders frequently targeted.
- Nearly one million Indian nationals were awaiting employment-based green cards as of December 2025, comprising 79% of pending applications.
- Projected wait times for highly skilled Indians range from five to 179 years for green cards filed from January 2026.
Indian tech workers face growing uncertainty as the US suspends eight technology firms, including Microsoft, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, and HCL Technologies, from hiring skilled international workers permanently through the PERM program. This move freezes new and pending applications, impacting those who rely on H-1B visas for temporary work while seeking green cards.
Industry bodies like Nasscom indicate that Indian companies have reduced their reliance on H-1B visas, with Wipro reporting over 80% of its US workforce hired locally and TCS having minimal PERM applications in recent years. However, a US-based executive highlighted the significant human impact, with many individuals stuck in the US without green card progress, facing challenges even if they consider returning to India.
Recent policy shifts and rhetoric, such as US Vice President JD Vance's comments on H-1B workers, have amplified online hostility towards Indian immigrants. Experts suggest that limited residency pathways may lead some to reconsider their US future, while others might opt not to move to the US at all. With nearly one million Indian nationals awaiting employment-based green cards as of December 2025, projected wait times are extremely long.