The United States reported just 61 PERM labor certification filings of four major Indian IT services companies in the first nine months of fiscal 2026: HCLTech, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys and Wipro.
According to the figures provided, HCLTech had 59 filings and TCS two. There were no PERM filings for Infosys and Wipro in the same period. The numbers have drawn attention because of the ongoing debate about US immigration policy changes, foreign jobs and the effect of employment-related regulations on Indian technology companies.
Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) is the U.S. Department of Labor's process for permanent labor certification. For employment-based immigration purposes, employers must complete this process to allow a foreign worker to apply for certain employment-based green card applications.
PERM is different from the H-1B visa program, which allows eligible US employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in specialty fields. Therefore, PERM filing numbers are not a complete indicator of how Indian IT companies recruit, transfer or hire workers in the United States.
HCLTech received more than 60 per cent of the filings for PERM among the four companies, according to the figures provided. TCS accounts for the other two, while Infosys and Wipro had 0 filings in this period. These numbers can be linked to the companies' immigration plans, the time of employment-based permanent residency applications, their current workforce and/or the fact that those jobs are made in other places. Without data from the company and official filings, it is difficult to see the reason for the differences.
The numbers also come as the global workforce strategies are changing. Indian IT services companies operate in different countries and employ professionals in India, the US and other countries.
Pitfalls of hiring staff are influenced by client demand, project locations, operating costs, local hiring requirements, visa availability and long-term job planning. Some companies will hire more people locally in the United States, while others will assign people to projects differently. Permanent residency applications and temporary work authorisations can therefore vary drastically from employer to employer.
For Indian IT companies, a low number of PERM filings does not necessarily mean the business is shutting down, or the company is less able to serve U.S. clients. PERM is a single step in an immigration process; it is not a measure of revenue, spending on technology, client contracts or workforce size (data and information) of a company. The reported numbers should also not be confused with H-1B petitions, visa approvals or the total number of Indian technology professionals working in the United States. Each process has its own needs and has its own end game. The notion that there is no impact on Indian IT companies should therefore be taken seriously.
Although the reported PERM numbers are relatively small, the impact of US immigration policy can be felt far beyond permanent labor certification. Recruitment costs, visa costs, employee relocation plans and availability of specialized talent at companies can change. The impact of a particular policy will depend on the type of company and how much staff it gets from abroad. Figuring out whether the four companies have been affected would take more evidence, such as their official statements, employment data and financial statements.
Investors in the Indian IT sector could also want to differentiate between immigration-related developments and the main business indicators in the industry. Revenue growth, operating margins, new client contracts, deal wins, employee utilisation and demand for technology services are still the key indicators of corporate performance. Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity and enterprise digital transformation can also affect business prospects.
However, immigration policy may affect how companies provide services and staff but it is only a small part of the whole operating system in which they are operating. The information in the data could also raise questions about whether or not the four companies are changing their practice of hiring in the US.
A longer period of time for local hiring, offshore delivery centres for jobs and a change of time of application process to permanent residency applications could affect PERM filing volume. But there is no evidence that either the companies or official records show a clear explanation for this, so there’s no reason for these things to be considered. For employees and potential applicants, there’s a big difference between PERM and other immigration processes.
A zero PERM filing count does not mean that a company has stopped hiring in the United States and does not mean that the company has not made any other immigration-related applications. Similarly, the number of PERM filings is not indicative of the number of employees who receive permanent residency.
All together, the 61 PERM filings for HCLTech, TCS, Infosys and Wipro in the first nine months of fiscal 2026 are a small snapshot of one part of the US employment-based immigration process. HCLTech had 59 filings, TCS had two, and Infosys and Wipro did not have any filings. These figures may be of interest when considering immigration rules and international hiring but they are not enough to say that Indian IT companies have no impact. Official data and broader workforce and business indicators are needed to assess the real implications for the sector.
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