TCS, Infosys and Wipro suspended from US green card programme in Trump crackdown

The Trump administration has suspended several of the world's largest technology companies, including Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant and Microsoft, from the United States' Permanent Labour Certification programme, known as PERM, which serves as the mandatory first step for a foreign worker seeking permanent residency in the country.

Vice President JD Vance said the government wants suspended firms to thrive in the United States but not at the expense of American workers, describing the use of foreign labour under existing arrangements as akin to indentured servitude. Industry body Nasscom pushed back, arguing that immigration policy and talent mobility are distinct issues that should not be conflated.

TCS said the suspension would not affect its workforce strategy, adding that it plans to hire an additional 15,000 people in the United States over the next five years to strengthen its local workforce. The move is nonetheless expected to place significant new obstacles before thousands of Indian technology professionals who rely on the PERM pathway to secure long-term residency.

The Congress party accused the Modi government of failing to respond firmly to the crackdown, with senior leader Jairam Ramesh arguing the suspension followed efforts by New Delhi to accommodate Washington, including the proposed introduction of merchant fees on UPI transactions that he said would benefit American companies.