09-10-2026
The Trump administration has suspended the processing of new and pending Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) applications involving several major technology and IT services companies. PERM is a key step through which US employers sponsor foreign workers for employment-based green cards. Vice President JD Vance and Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling say the companies have abused immigration rules by replacing US workers with lower-paid foreign employees, whom Vance described as “indentured servants.” Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini are named as affected; the suspensions will continue indefinitely, while Meta, Amazon and Google are not included. The administration cites companies’ use of H-1B visas and PERM certifications as evidence of widespread misuse. Microsoft disputes that interpretation, saying most of its roughly 6,000 H-1B filings last year were extensions or status changes for existing employees, and that its visa holders are paid comparably to colleagues doing similar work. The policy could affect thousands of foreign workers already in the United States who are waiting for permanent residency, many of them Indian nationals. The article notes that Indian citizens account for roughly 70 percent of current H-1B holders, while 62 percent of H-1B beneficiaries in fiscal year 2025 worked in computer-related occupations. The move comes amid broader administration efforts to restrict immigration, including a proposed $103,000 H-1B application fee. Employment-based green cards are capped at about 140,000 annually, with no country receiving more than seven percent. Because many Indian workers seek green cards after working on H-1B visas, nearly one million Indians in the United States are reportedly waiting in the employment-based backlog. The supplied article ends mid-sentence after saying they represent 79 percent of the total.
Entities: JD Vance, Donald Trump, Keith Sonderling, United States, Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
09-10-2026
India’s Ministry of External Affairs criticized U.S. Vice President JD Vance for describing foreign workers on H-1B visas as “foreign indentured servants,” calling the wording deeply offensive because of its painful historical and colonial associations. Vance made the remark while arguing that companies should employ American workers rather than lay off U.S. employees and replace them with foreign workers. He also accused Microsoft of replacing 6,000 laid-off workers with H-1B visa holders.
The dispute coincided with the U.S. Department of Labor’s announcement that Microsoft, Adobe, and several major Indian IT companies would be suspended from the Permanent Labor Certification program, which allows employers to seek permanent residency for employees. Official data show that people born in India accounted for about 70% of H-1B beneficiaries in 2025. India’s government said the suspensions would not change the validity of existing H-1B visas or the status of visa holders and their dependents. It also argued that worker mobility benefits both countries and that the measures do not support their shared ambitions.
The affected Indian firms include Cognizant, Infosys, Capgemini, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, and HCL. NASSCOM, India’s IT industry body, said its member companies have reduced their reliance on H-1B visas and are increasing hiring within their U.S. workforces. Tata Consultancy Services said its H-1B applications had been in the single digits over the previous two years and that it plans to hire 15,000 more people in the United States during the next five years. The article also notes that a federal judge blocked a $100,000 H-1B visa fee imposed by President Donald Trump the previous year.
Entities: JD Vance, India, United States, Ministry of External Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
09-10-2026
The article reports Indian entrepreneur Shobhit Mathur’s response to US Vice President JD Vance’s description of foreign technology workers as “indentured servants.” Mathur, co-founder and vice chancellor of Rishihood University, recalled joining Amazon on an H-1B visa when the company was losing money and operating from a rented building. He said he was part of the early team that built Amazon Web Services (AWS), and argued that H-1B workers contributed to Amazon’s growth: AWS now generates more than 60% of the company’s profits, Amazon’s stock has risen roughly 300-fold, and the company helped transform Seattle’s skyline. Mathur noted that about 100 H-1B visa holders were part of Amazon’s initial team and challenged the US to build companies and wealth without workers like them.
The article places Mathur’s comments amid controversy over the Trump administration’s effort to address alleged visa abuse. The administration halted Green Card processing for workers at eight major technology companies: Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL Technologies, and Capgemini. The article clarifies that the restriction concerns employer-sponsored Green Cards, not H-1B visas, and that Amazon and Google were not named.
Vance defended the action by alleging that H-1B workers and employees of outsourcing firms are paid less than American workers and that companies use them to replace US employees and reduce labor costs. India formally objected to his “indentured servants” characterization, saying talent mobility from India benefits US companies through advanced skills, innovation, research, productivity, competitiveness, job creation, and shareholder wealth. The article presents the dispute as a clash over the contribution of skilled immigrant workers and the treatment of US workers, while highlighting Mathur’s personal experience as an argument against dismissing H-1B employees’ role in building major businesses.
Entities: Shobhit Mathur, JD Vance, Jeff Bezos, Amazon, Amazon Web Services (AWS) • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
