India · Donald Trump · U.S. · Microsoft · BBC Technology
Trump's green card curbs test Indian tech workers' American dream
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For millions of Indians, the road to the ultimate career aspiration had a familiar script - an engineering degree to get a tech services job, then a posting in the US, repeated visa renewals and then the green card that gave them permanent residency in the country.
Key facts
- A report in Business Standard newspaper, citing PERM Tracker, said, TCS' applications filings fell to two in 2025-26 from 513 in the previous year and 1,804 in the year
- Nearly one million Indian nationals were waiting for employment-based green cards as of December 2025, representing 79% of the total pending applications, according to the National Foundation
- Researchers at Stop AAPI Hate, a US non-profit that combats anti-Asian and Pacific Islander discrimination, have reported a sharp increase in anti-South Asian online sentiment since the 2024 US
- Nasscom, the trade association of India's $300bn (£226bn) technology industry, says that Indian companies have reduced the dependence on H-1B visas and are hiring more locally
Summary
Earlier this month, the US announced it would suspend eight technology firms, including Microsoft, India's Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and HCL Technologies, from hiring skilled international workers on a permanent basis through a widely used visa pathway. New and pending applications under the Permanent Labor Certification Program, or PERM, have been frozen. The latest announcement is in line with Trump's push for stricter skilled-worker immigration rules, which tech firms have been adapting to and, therefore, the impact on businesses may be minimal, experts say. Nasscom, the trade association of India's $300bn (£226bn) technology industry, says that Indian companies have reduced the dependence on H-1B visas and are hiring more locally.