From H-1B to green cards: Why Indian tech workers are facing a double squeeze in the US
Indian technology professionals in the U.S. are facing increased difficulties due to stricter H-1B visa scrutiny and a massive green card backlog. Recent PERM filing suspensions for companies like Cognizant and Cloudera have further complicated the pathway to permanent residency.
Why it matters
This trend highlights a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy that impacts the long-term workforce planning of major tech employers and the stability of foreign-born talent.
For years, the H-1B visa was the front door, and the green card was the destination. Indian technology professionals accepted the lottery odds, years in limbo and uncertainty because the pathway, however slow, was open. Now, both ends of that pathway are under pressure.With nearly 10 lakh Indians already in the US employment-based green-card backlog, the journey from temporary worker to permanent resident is becoming a two-sided squeeze: getting in is harder, while getting out of the visa queue can take decades.On September 8, US Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito announced that Cognizant's new PERM filings had been suspended amid an investigation into alleged fraud and misuse of employment-based visa programmes.Days later, he said the same had happened to Cloudera.
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