India has pushed back against US Vice President JD Vance’s “indentured servants” remark about foreign workers, calling his comments unwarranted and defending the contribution of Indian professionals to the American economy. The controversy follows a US suspension of eight companies from the PERM employment-based green card process. The affected firms include TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Cognizant, Microsoft, Adobe and Capgemini. Vance accused Microsoft of replacing American workers with foreign employees. The US administration says the action is intended to protect American jobs, while India argues that skilled talent mobility benefits both countries through innovation, research, productivity and job creation.

The American Dream is facing fresh uncertainty for thousands of Indian IT professionals as the US government freezes new and pending green card applications linked to eight major technology companies. Microsoft, Adobe, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Cognizant and Capgemini are among the companies reportedly affected by the latest US immigration crackdown, raising concerns over employment-based permanent residency and long-term career plans in America. The US Department of Labor has halted the processing of new and pending PERM labour certification applications amid allegations of abuse of immigration programmes. The move could leave Indian professionals sponsored by these technology giants facing prolonged delays in their green card journey, adding another layer of uncertainty for H-1B visa holders hoping to secure permanent residency in the United States.