U.S. suspends eight technology companies from PERM program

The U.S. Department of Labor has suspended eight technology companies from the PERM employment-based immigration program, stopping new applications and processing of pending cases involving them, Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said Thursday. The companies named are Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe. Sonderling announced the action alongside Vice President J.D. Vance, citing active federal investigations into alleged fraud or abuse of the labor certification system. The reports do not establish that the companies committed wrongdoing. PERM is a labor certification that employers generally must obtain before sponsoring a foreign worker for permanent residency. The suspension concerns that step in the green-card process; it is distinct from the H-1B program, which allows eligible foreign workers to work temporarily in the United States. Reports say the action does not itself cancel already approved green-card cases or change workers’ current visa status. Vance accused companies of making illegitimate representations in applications and called for them to hire more U.S. workers.