VOI World/ Desk
Cognizant’s US green card filings have been suspended amid a federal investigation into alleged fraud and misuse of employment visa programmes, putting fresh pressure on the India-founded IT major and potentially affecting foreign workers seeking permanent residency in the US.
The US Department of Labor has suspended Cognizant’s ability to file new PERM applications. PERM, or Permanent Labor Certification, is a key step employers must complete before sponsoring foreign workers for employment-based Green Cards. The process requires employers to demonstrate that qualified US workers are not available for the position and that hiring foreign workers will not adversely affect American workers’ wages and conditions.
The suspension follows a wider US investigation launched in July into alleged fraud involving the H-1B and PERM employment visa programmes. Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito said the investigation is being conducted with the White House Fraud Task Force and warned that violations affecting American workers would not be tolerated. Cognizant and another technology company, Cloudera, have both had their PERM filings suspended.
The development is particularly significant for Indian technology professionals. Cognizant was founded in Chennai in 1994 and remains one of the major employers of Indian-origin technology workers in the US. Many foreign employees rely on employer-sponsored Green Cards to transition from temporary work status to permanent residency, although the exact number of Cognizant employees directly affected is not publicly known.
The suspension applies to new PERM filings and does not automatically cancel existing Green Card cases or amount to a blanket suspension of Cognizant’s H-1B programme. The duration of the freeze and the specific allegations under investigation have also not been disclosed.
The case could also signal tougher scrutiny of immigration and recruitment practices across the US technology sector, particularly among major companies that depend heavily on foreign skilled workers.
