Industry Odisha Bureau, Oct 12: Washington has suspended green card labour certifications at eight firms, five from Indian IT. Yet US data shows Amazon, Microsoft and Google among the biggest beneficiaries. Indian IT’s annual share has fallen below 1%.
Yet US data analysed by Mint shows Indian IT won just 4% of certifications. American tech giants rank among the largest individual beneficiaries.
Between FY2008 and FY2025, the US issued about 1.45 million PERM certifications. The Big Five received 57,501 of them. Amazon secured 38,254, Microsoft 35,062 and Google 25,287.
Among Indian IT firms, Cognizant led with 26,625 and Wipro trailed at 2,786. TCS, Infosys and HCLTech received 10,831, 9,954 and 7,305 respectively.
The Big Five received 7,798 certifications in FY2015. That fell to about 3,662 in FY2022 and roughly 1,440 in FY2025. Their yearly share dropped from about 10% to below 1%.
Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling tied about 100,000 certifications at the eight firms to job losses. Such figures alone do not prove misuse or show each one cost an American job.
PERM labour certification typically opens the employer-sponsored green card process. Employers must advertise the role and assess American applicants. They must also show the hire will not hurt local wages or conditions.
A PERM certificate is not itself a green card. Indian IT has long preferred the H-1B, a temporary visa for speciality occupations. The suspension therefore does not cancel existing H-1B visas.
TCS told exchanges on 9 October its PERM filings were single-digit for two years. It expects no impact on workforce strategy or client engagements.
Infosys also expects no material impact and offered to assist the Department of Labor. Both remain company assessments, not guarantees.
Cognizant chief executive Ravi Kumar has said the firm cut visa dependence sharply. It has instead expanded local hiring and nearshore capacity. TCS chief K Krithivasan said deployments trailed even its yearly visa approvals.
Sushovon Nayak of Anand Rathi Institutional Equities links the decline to stricter US rules. He also cites fewer H-1B approvals, localisation and subcontracting.
Peter Bendor-Samuel of Constellation Research expects more Indian IT firms to face scrutiny. He sees the move as a curb on foreign on-site labour, not a delivery risk.
The administration has repeatedly accused Indian firms of misusing H-1B visas. It alleges they replace American workers with cheaper Indian hires.
New H-1B approvals for Indians fell 28% from FY2024, to about 57,000 in FY2026. Republican lawmakers have filed at least four bills to curb the programme.
Proposals range from ending it outright to capping stays at two years. None has become law.
The US supplies 35% to 70% of each Big Five firm’s revenue. Offshore delivery serves American clients without relocating most staff. With PERM use already low, the suspension may cause limited near-term disruption.
Tighter H-1B rules could still raise hiring costs and limit staff mobility. For Indian IT, local hiring and nearshore centres are becoming core to US business. The next test is whether Washington extends the suspension to more firms.
