New Delhi : Congress leader Pawan Khera on Thursday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over US visa restrictions affecting Indian professionals, alleging that the Prime Minister was allowing US President Donald Trump to “bully” him instead of taking a firm stand in dealing with Washington.
In a post on X, Khera said the high fees for H-1B visas had already prompted American companies to reconsider hiring Indian professionals, while the suspension of the PERM programme for major Indian IT companies had made it more difficult for them to sponsor Indian employees for permanent residency in the United States.
“The exorbitant H-1B fees have already made American companies think twice about hiring Indian professionals. Now, by suspending the PERM programme for major Indian IT companies, the Trump administration has made it harder for Indian companies operating in the US to sponsor Indian professionals for permanent residency,” Khera said.
He further claimed that Rahul Gandhi had repeatedly advised Modi to adopt a tougher position in his dealings with the United States. “Mr @RahulGandhi has repeatedly advised the Prime Minister to stand his ground when dealing with America and act as if he really has a 56-inch chest,” Khera said.
Taking a swipe at the Prime Minister, the Congress leader added, “But Modi ‘Ji’ would rather get bullied by his fraand, Dolaand Trump, than listen to Rahul Gandhi.” Following the US government's temporary suspension of several major technology companies from filing new applications under the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) said immigration and skilled talent mobility were two distinct issues and should not be viewed through the same lens.
In an official statement, Nasscom said the US Department of Labour's decision affected a specific immigration pathway, while Indian technology companies had significantly reduced their dependence on H-1B visas over the years, expanded local hiring and built a strong domestic workforce in the United States.
"The U.S. Department of Labor has today announced the temporary suspension of certain IT companies, including Indian technology companies operating in the U.S., from filing new applications under the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) programme. While the decision affects a specific immigration pathway, Nasscom has consistently maintained that immigration and skilled talent mobility are two distinct issues and should not be viewed through the same lens," the statement said.
"The H-1B visa programme has historically played an important role in addressing short-term skill gaps in the US and it will continue to be used to address short term talent gaps. However, over a number of years, Indian technology companies have significantly reduced their dependence on H-1B visas, while steadily expanding local hiring and building a strong domestic workforce in the U.S," the statement added. Nasscom added that Indian technology companies worked with a majority of Fortune 500 companies in the US, enabling them to innovate and grow while generating more local jobs. It said the number of employees transitioning from H-1B visas to permanent residency through the PERM process was relatively limited.
The industry body also said Indian technology companies operated across more than 80 countries and had consistently demonstrated their commitment to complying with local laws and regulatory requirements."We are confident that they will continue to adhere to applicable regulations in the US as well," it said. Microsoft also responded to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown after being suspended from the programme, saying it believes in the “strength and talent of the American workforce.”Microsoft said the remaining H-1B filings for new employees involved people already legally present in the US who chose to join the company. “They are not new arrivals to our country,” it said, adding that they accounted for only one per cent of its US workforce.
Earlier, US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling announced the US Government is suspending from the Permanent Labour Certification Program some of the largest IT outsourcing firms in the world, which include Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini. The US Labour Department attributed the suspension to multiple active federal investigations, even as it also suspended US tech majors Microsoft and Adobe from the program. The US Labour secretary further said the department would not accept new applications or process pending permanent labor certification applications involving the companies. "We will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labor certification applications involving these companies," Sonderling said.
Sonderling said the companies named had collectively sought millions of foreign workers and received hundreds of thousands of H-1B visa approvals and permanent labour certifications. "Since 2009, just these companies alone have requested almost 3 million foreign workers. They received over 230,000 H1B Visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labor certifications that's hundred and thousands of jobs that were taken from a American workers," the Labour Secretary said.
The announcement comes after the US Department of Homeland Security proposed new fees for F-1 nonimmigrant students seeking to participate in Optional Practical Training (OPT), describing the measure as an effort to protect American workers and strengthen the integrity of the immigration system.