Overview
- The Labor Department said on Thursday it will not accept new or process pending PERM applications for Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini while investigations continue.
- PERM is the employer step that many H-1B workers use to seek employment-based green cards and the freeze interrupts that pathway but does not automatically cancel existing H-1B visas.
- The White House also announced investigations and subpoenas for nine universities over J-1 visa use as part of a broader Anti-Fraud Task Force enforcement push.
- Affected companies disputed the administration’s depiction, arguing most recent H-1B filings were extensions for current employees, while workers facing six-year H-1B limits worry the pause could block earned extensions tied to PERM progress.
- The move follows an escalation of enforcement measures the administration has pursued and could prompt legal challenges, staffing shifts by firms, and wider effects on Indian IT professionals and global talent flows.