Indian IT giants radically reduced green card applications even before US crackdown, data shows

The US government recently suspended eight technology companies, including major Indian IT giants such as TCS, HCL, Infosys, and Wipro, from the green card labor certification program. This decision came after the US argued that granting permanent residence to foreign workers on H-1Bs was undercutting American workers. However, an analysis of US immigration data reveals that these four Indian IT giants have significantly reduced their PERM labor certification applications since FY 2024.

For instance, TCS received only two PERM approvals in 2026, compared to 1,804 in FY2024, a staggering 99.8% decrease over two years. Similarly, Wipro, Infosys, and HCL America Inc. and HCL America Solutions have also drastically reduced their PERM approvals. This trend aligns with the companies' claims that they are hiring more American workers and reducing their dependence on green cards for foreign employees.

The Indian software industry body, NASSCOM, supports this shift, stating that tech firms are transitioning fewer employees from H-1B visas to green cards through the PERM process and expanding local hiring instead. Industry experts suggest that tech companies in the US have been preparing for such restrictive immigration changes by hiring more Americans and avoiding the high costs associated with H-1B petitions and green cards.