US green card restrictions unsettle Indian tech workers

Indian technology professionals seeking permanent residency in the United States face a fresh obstacle after the suspension of new and pending labour certification applications at eight technology employers, BBC News reported. The restrictions interrupt a pathway used by workers hoping to turn temporary US employment into a permanent home.

The affected employers include Microsoft, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and HCL Technologies, according to the report. The action concerns the Permanent Labor Certification Program, known as PERM, rather than a suspension of the entire US employment-based immigration system.

Infosys acknowledged the measure in an October 10, 2026, stock exchange filing, confirming that the US Department of Labor’s decision covered its new and pending PERM applications. The company said it would work with the department and related agencies to answer their questions and did not anticipate a material organisational impact.

The company also pointed to its investment in a local US workforce and technology and innovation hubs. That response underscores a distinction central to the situation: an employer may expect limited disruption to its operations while individual employees face uncertainty over their immigration plans.

PERM is a labour-market certification process, not a green card in itself. According to the Department of Labor, employers generally must secure certification before submitting an immigration petition to US Citizenship and Immigration Services for a foreign worker to take a permanent position.

The department must establish that there are insufficient US workers who are able, willing, qualified and available for the position in the intended employment area. It must also certify that employing the foreign worker would not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed US workers. These requirements make certification an important preliminary hurdle rather than a guarantee of permanent residency.

For Indian professionals, the disruption comes against an established pattern of moving to the United States on temporary assignments and pursuing employer-sponsored settlement. Indians hold a majority of H-1B visas, according to the BBC report. A pause in a separate permanent-residency process therefore reaches workers whose immediate employment and eventual settlement depend on different immigration mechanisms.

The consequences can extend beyond career progression to family decisions about where to build a future. The BBC described workers who have spent years in the United States without completing their green card process. For those households, uncertainty over sponsorship complicates decisions that cannot be measured solely through an employer’s financial exposure.

What happens next will depend on the handling of the suspended applications and employers’ responses to the authorities. Infosys said it would make further disclosures if required under applicable regulatory standards. Its expectation of limited business impact does not resolve the central question facing affected workers: when their route towards permanent residency can move forward.