India Condemns Vance’s H-1B Workers Remark

India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Friday condemned U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s description of H-1B workers as “indentured servants,” calling the terminology unwarranted and deeply offensive because of its historical and colonial connotations. The response came as the United States moved to suspend eight technology companies from the labor-certification process used in some employment-based green-card applications. The ministry said the characterization overlooked the contributions of Indian professionals, whom it described as highly educated and skilled contributors to the U.S. economy and innovation. It also said generations of immigrants had helped shape U.S. growth and prosperity, and argued that skilled-worker mobility benefits both countries through innovation, research, productivity and employment. The MEA separately emphasized that the Permanent Labor Certification program, known as PERM, is distinct from the H-1B visa program. According to the ministry, suspending PERM applications does not by itself change the validity of existing H-1B visas or the status of visa holders and their dependents.