USA, Oct 10: The US has suspended IT firms such as Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini, Microsoft, and Adobe from the ‘Permanent Labor Certification Program’—a scheme that allows companies to apply for ‘Green Cards’ on behalf of employees holding H-1B visas.
US Labor official Keith Sonderling made this announcement in the presence of Vice President J.D. Vance and the head of the US Anti-Fraud Task Force.
“I am hereby suspending the world’s largest IT outsourcing firms—Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini—from the Permanent Labor Certification Program,” Sonderling said.
He further stated that the Department of Labor is also suspending Microsoft and Adobe from the program. “We will not accept any new permanent labor certification applications related to these companies, nor will we consider pending applications,” said Sonderling.
“Since 2009, these companies alone have sought to hire approximately 3 million foreign workers. They have secured over 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and more than 100,000 permanent labor certifications,” he stated.
“This means that millions of job opportunities have been taken away from American workers,” Sonderling said.