India pushes back on US PERM suspension, calls Vance’s “indentured servants” remark deeply offensive

India has called JD Vance’s “indentured servants” remark unwarranted and deeply offensive after the US suspended eight firms from PERM. Read the MEA’s full response

PGurus Newsdesk

October 9, 2026

The MEA says the US PERM suspension doesn’t serve shared goals. See what Nasscom and Priyank Kharge said about the impact on Indian IT firms

The MEA says Indian professionals contribute to US innovation, research and competitiveness

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on October 9 rejected US Vice President JD Vance’s description of H-1B visa holders as “indentured servants,” calling it unwarranted and deeply offensive. The response follows Washington’s decision to suspend eight tech and IT services companies from the PERM green card programme.

What the MEA said

The MEA said it is aware of the US Department of Labor’s decision on the PERM programme for certain companies. It noted that Indian talent helps American companies strengthen innovation, research, productivity and competitiveness, and said the latest measures do not serve the shared ambitions of the two countries. The ministry added that the remarks overlooked what Indian professionals have contributed to the American economy, and that it expects all sides to recognise the mutual benefits of professional mobility between India and the US.

New Delhi said it remains in touch with US authorities to resolve concerns about the movement of Indian professionals and the work of Indian IT firms in the US. It also said it will keep following developments.

The MEA says Indian professionals contribute to US innovation, research and competitiveness

What the suspension does

The Labor Department’s action stops the affected companies from filing new PERM applications and halts the processing of pending ones. The department linked the suspensions to multiple active federal investigations. The companies named include TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCLTech, along with Cognizant, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe.

Industry body: impact limited

Nasscom, the apex body for India’s IT industry, said on Thursday that relatively few employees move from H-1B visas to permanent residency through PERM. It added that Indian technology companies will continue to follow applicable US rules.

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