Immigration
'Unwarranted': India hits back at JD Vance over ‘indentured servants’ remark amid US Green Card crackdown
New Delhi/IBNS: India has criticised US Vice-President JD Vance for describing foreign workers as “indentured servants” amid a crackdown on employment-based immigration, calling the remark “unwarranted” and offensive.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said such descriptions ignored the contributions of Indian professionals to the US economy and innovation ecosystem.
“We believe that such descriptions are unwarranted and ignore the fact that Indian professionals in the United States are highly educated and skilled contributors to its economy and innovation ecosystem,” the MEA said in a statement.
“Indeed, the history of the United States itself has been shaped by generations of immigrants whose labour, enterprise and innovation have contributed to its growth and prosperity. Resorting to terminology that carries painful historical and colonial legacy connotations is deeply offensive,” it added.
US suspends major companies from Green Card programme
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) has suspended several major technology companies, including Microsoft, Infosys and Tata, from participating in the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme, citing concerns that foreign hiring practices could adversely affect American workers.
US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling announced that the department would stop accepting or processing new applications under the programme from several companies, including Cognizant, Infosys, Capgemini, Tata, Wipro and HCL. Adobe and Microsoft were also suspended, reportedly due to multiple active federal investigations.
“Since 2009, just these companies alone have requested almost 3 million foreign workers. They’ve received over 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labour certifications. That’s hundreds of thousands of jobs that were taken from American workers,” Sonderling was quoted as saying by CNBC.
The move comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies scrutiny of immigration and foreign hiring programmes ahead of the November midterm elections.
Impact on Indian professionals
The suspension could affect Indian technology professionals seeking permanent residency in the United States through employer-sponsored Green Cards, according to an NDTV report.
The PERM labour certification is a key stage in the employment-based Green Card process. The suspension could disrupt or delay employers’ ability to advance eligible foreign workers through this stage.
However, the suspension does not automatically cancel an employee’s existing H-1B status.
Indian professionals make up a significant part of the US technology workforce, and the latest restrictions have raised concerns about the potential implications for workers seeking long-term employment and residency in the country.
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