 Early Times Report
New Delhi, Oct 9: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday clarified that the US government's suspension of certain companies from the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) programme does not, by itself, affect the validity of existing H-1B visas or the status of visa holders and their dependents, while criticising remarks made by US Vice President JD Vance targeting foreign workers, describing the characterisation of Indian professionals as "unwarranted" and "deeply offensive".
During a weekly media briefing here, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated India's position on the US Department of Labor's decision concerning the PERM programme, stressing that it is distinct from the H-1B visa programme.
"We are aware of the US Department of Labour's decision concerning the permanent labour certification programme that is PERM for certain companies; it should be noted that PERM is distinct from the H-1B visa programme," Jaiswal said.
He clarified that the suspension of PERM applications would not directly affect existing H-1B visas, although it could have implications for eligible employees seeking permanent residency in the United States.
"The suspension of PERM application does not by itself affect the validity of H-1B visas or the status of H-1B visa holders and their dependents," the MEA spokesperson said, adding that "there could be some impact on the permanent residency or green card process of eligible employees of the affected companies."
The clarification comes after US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling on Thursday announced the suspension of certain major technology and IT outsourcing companies from the PERM programme, citing multiple active federal investigations.
The companies named included Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini, along with US technology majors Microsoft and Adobe.
Sonderling said the department would neither accept new applications nor process pending permanent labour certification applications involving the companies.
"We will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labor certification applications involving these companies," Sonderling said.
The US Labour Secretary also alleged that the companies had collectively sought millions of foreign workers and received hundreds of thousands of H-1B visa approvals and permanent labour certifications.
"Since 2009, just these companies alone have requested almost 3 million foreign workers. They received over 230,000 H1B Visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labor certifications," Sonderling said.
Responding to comments by US Vice President JD Vance on alleged misuse of the H-1B visa programme, Jaiswal said India's view was that such descriptions failed to recognise the contribution of Indian professionals to the American economy and its innovation ecosystem.
"In regard to the comments made by the US Vice President, let me say that we believe that such descriptions are unwarranted and ignore the fact that Indian professionals in the United States are highly educated and skilled contributors to its economy and innovation ecosystem," he said.
The MEA spokesperson also invoked the contribution of immigrants to America's economic development, criticising the terminology used to describe foreign workers.
"Indeed, the history of the United States itself has been shaped by generations of immigrants whose labour, enterprise, and innovation have contributed to its growth and prosperity," Jaiswal said. |
