India on Friday called out US Vice President JD Vance over his comments in the context of United States’ decision to suspend applications under the Permanent Labor Certification ( PERM ) programme for certain companies.
It added that the steps announced by the US do not advance the shared ambitions of the two countries. Under the PERM decision, the US Department of Labor has suspended the processing of pending applications and stopped accepting new applications under the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) programme for eight firms, including Indian IT companies Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services ( TCS ), Wipro and HCL Technologies. Other IT and technology firms on the list are – Cognizant, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe.
India said the descriptions of Indian professionals were “unwarranted” and ignored their contributions to the American economy and innovation ecosystem. US Vice President JD Vance accused companies of using H-1B visa holders to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign employees, describing them as “foreign indentured servants” in remarks on October 8. In a video message addressing Microsoft and other companies affected by the US suspension of the PERM green-card programme, Vance said, “You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants. Talent mobility benefits both countries by helping US companies access skilled professionals who contribute to innovation, research, productivity and job creation, the MEA said.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Friday the US suspension of applications under the PERM programme for certain companies will not, by itself, affect the validity of existing H-1B visas, but could impact the green-card process for eligible employees of the affected firms.
Reacting to comments by the US Vice President in the context of the decision, India said the descriptions of Indian professionals were “unwarranted” and ignored their contributions to the American economy and innovation ecosystem.
