US freezes PERM green-card filings for Microsoft and seven IT firms

The United States paused a key green-card step for workers at eight big tech employers.

On 8 October 2026, Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the Department of Labor would stop new and pending Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) cases involving those firms. BBC News followed the human impact on 22 October 2026. This is a news summary, not legal advice.

The eight firms on the freeze list

• Named sponsors: Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCL Technologies, and Capgemini.
• What freezes: New PERM filings and pending PERM cases tied to those employers. PERM is the usual labor test before many employment-based green cards.
• What does not freeze overnight: Current H-1B work permission for people already approved. The freeze hits the green-card labor step, not every temporary visa stamp.
• How long: Officials described the pause as indefinite until the government is satisfied on fraud and hiring concerns.
• Why it matters for Indians: Indians hold a large share of H-1B visas and of the employment green-card backlog. Many files use PERM as the bridge from temporary work to a green card.

Rules that still apply for other sponsors

• Employers not on the list can still file PERM under normal rules.
• Other green-card routes that skip PERM (for example some national-interest or investor paths) are separate products. They have their own tests and capital rules.
• Ordinary USCIS and State Department fees still apply on whatever route remains open for your case.
• Court challenges are possible. A lawsuit does not reopen your file by itself.

H-1B holders watching green cards

• Workers at the eight firms whose PERM is new or pending face a hard stop on that labor step until the freeze lifts or the case moves somehow else.
• Families already years into the US school and housing plan feel the human cost first, even when company revenue impact looks small.
• People comparing Canada still have a different skilled-worker story. Start with Canada vs United States.

Before you plan the next move

1. Read the BBC report and ask your employer’s immigration counsel whether your PERM is new, pending, or already certified.
2. Open our older notes on H-1B fees: $100k fee struck down and the later $103,265 draft.
3. Check the United States country page if you are weighing another base country.

News summary only, not legal advice. Confirm live Labor Department and USCIS guidance before you change jobs or leave the United States.