Trump's green card curbs test Indian tech workers' American dream
The US has frozen green card applications from eight major tech firms, leaving Indian IT workers — the largest group of H-1B visa holders — facing deep uncertainty about their future in America.
For millions of Indian tech workers, the familiar script of the American dream — an engineering degree, a job with an IT services company, a posting in the United States, repeated visa renewals, and finally a green card — may be coming to an end.
Earlier this month, the US government suspended eight technology firms, including Microsoft, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, and HCL Technologies, from the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM), the main route employers use to sponsor foreign staff for permanent residency. New and pending applications under the program have been frozen. The move is part of President Trump's push for stricter rules on skilled-worker immigration.
The blow falls hardest on Indians, who hold the majority of H-1B visas. Nearly one million Indian nationals were waiting for employment-based green cards as of December, according to a Cato Institute report that projected wait times of five to 179 years for highly skilled Indians. Nasscom, the trade association of India's $300bn technology industry, has expressed concern about the squeeze on the path from temporary visas to permanent residency.
The companies themselves played down the impact. Wipro said in a statement that more than 80% of its US workforce is locally hired, while brokerage firm HDFC Securities said the effect on tech firms would be minimal. But for workers, the uncertainty is real. A senior executive at one of the eight firms, speaking to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said many people are stuck — years into life in the US with no clear route to settling there. Vice President JD Vance's remarks about foreign workers drew sharp criticism, though he later described his wording as "imperfect". Researchers at Stop AAPI Hate, a US non-profit, report amplified online hostility toward Indian immigrants.
Other routes to a green card exist, including the EB-5 investor visa, which requires at least $800,000 invested in eligible US enterprises. But Ahmet Gulek of Stanford's Immigration Policy Lab warned that some of these categories "may be targeted next." Legal challenges are likely: the PERM suspension may face federal court challenges, just as an earlier $100,000 fee imposed on certain new H-1B petitions was struck down by federal courts. Meanwhile, some research suggests the restrictions could shift jobs to India rather than to American workers.
Source: BBC News — Technology — TrendWire reports stories in its own words; facts should be confirmed against the original source.