In brief
A new policy that suspends the Permanent Labor Certification Program for eight leading technology companies has hit a critical layer of the talent pipeline that feeds America’s climate‑innovation sector. Indian professionals, who normally move from an H‑1B visa through PERM to permanent residency, now face stalled applications, leaving many families stranded. While firms say the impact on business operations is limited, the human cost is significant as workers grapple with uncertain futures and rising anti‑immigrant sentiment. The move is part of a broader trend of tightening U.S. immigration rules that could push a large portion of the country’s climate‑tech workforce back to India, potentially slowing global progress on clean technologies.
For millions of Indians, the career path to opportunity in the United States followed a predictable script: an engineering degree, a tech services job, relocation to the U.S., repeated visa renewals, and finally a green card granting permanent residency.
That script is now under threat. In late October the U.S. announced that it would suspend eight prominent technology firms—including Microsoft, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, and HCL Technologies—from hiring skilled international workers under the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM), a key route for obtaining green cards.
The freeze on both new and pending PERM applications leaves many Indian professionals—who hold the majority of H‑1B visas—in limbo. These workers have relied on PERM to transition from a temporary work visa into permanent residency and citizenship.
Senior officials at the firms say the policy’s business impact will be minimal, but the human cost is intense. Executives report colleagues who have spent years in the United States but now have stalled green‑card applications; even when they consider returning to India, their children, accustomed to life in the U.S., resist the move.
The strikes have amplified online hostility toward Indian immigrants and H‑1B holders. A U.S. non‑profit that tracks anti‑Asian sentiment has documented a sharp rise in hostility since the political shift in 2024. The U.S. vice president’s remarks describing H‑1B holders as “foreign indentured servants” drew sharp criticism from India’s foreign ministry, labeling the language colonial and offensive.
Industry groups paint a complex picture. Layoffs, cost‑cutting, and the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence are already reshaping the tech sector, making career moves increasingly difficult. Although some employers rely on permanent residency for high‑paid roles, only a small share of revenue comes from PERM‑linked positions. The slowdown may shift certain jobs back to India or spur companies to relocate work offshore, enabling cost arbitrage while still benefiting from remote work flexibility.
For those who wish to remain in the United States, alternative pathways to a green card exist, such as extraordinary ability or investment categories. Yet these routes are limited and come with hefty financial or eligibility requirements. Many Indian professionals find the capital necessary for investment difficult to secure, while the EB‑1 category for exceptional achievement involves rigorous proof of impact and recognition.
Current data shows that nearly one million Indian nationals were waiting for employment‑based green cards as of the end of 2025—representing 79% of all pending applications. Projected wait times range from five to 179 years for highly skilled Indians under the current immigration system, depending on the category and backlogs.
Experts warn that policies tightening the immigration corridor may attract unfavourable attention to other visa categories, potentially consolidating a more restrictive environment for skilled professionals worldwide. Unless reforms arise, the policy framework could influence the geographic distribution of the talent that powers climate‑tech research, development, and implementation.
