Trump's green card curbs could stall employer-sponsored permanent residence for Indian IT workers at eight named firms. Those workers keep valid H-1B status but cannot move EB-2 or EB-3 cases forward through those employers during the freeze. PERM labor certification is the required first employer step before most EB-2 and EB-3 petitions. Indian-born workers are heavily exposed because they hold most H-1B approvals and most of the employment-based backlog.
Table of Contents
- Which workers are caught in the freeze?
- Why do Indian workers face longer green-card waits?
- How does the $100,000 H-1B payment fit in?
- What practical checks should workers make now?
Which workers are caught in the freeze?
On Oct. 8, 2026, the Labor Department suspended new and pending PERM filings for eight employers during misuse probes. GlanceJobs named the employers in its GlanceJobs report as Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCLTech and Capgemini.
The action targets employer filings, not workers directly. Only workers seeking sponsorship through a listed employer face a pause. PERM certification is the required first employer step before most EB-2 and EB-3 petitions. Affected workers cannot advance toward permanent residence through those employers during the freeze, according to VisaVerge in its VisaVerge explainer.
Why do Indian workers face longer green-card waits?
India Tribune cites federal data analysis with about 996,599 Indians in the EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 queue as of December 2025. That is about 79% of the 1,264,495-person backlog. The source for that queue estimate is National Foundation for American Policy analysis of USCIS data, reported by India Tribune.
The scale means any added freeze hits a group already waiting in very long lines. The National Foundation for American Policy projects a 179-year EB-2 wait for an Indian filing on or after January 2026, in its NFAP analysis. It projects about a 38-year wait in EB-3 under the same filing date. Both estimates assume the 140,000 annual employment limit, counting dependents, and the 7% per-country cap.
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How does the $100,000 H-1B payment fit in?
The Sept. 19, 2025 presidential proclamation requires a one-time $100,000 payment with new H-1B petitions filed on or after Sept. 21, 2025. The White House allows case-by-case national-interest exceptions, as stated in its White House proclamation. The Council on Foreign Relations summarizes USCIS guidance on the fee's narrow scope. It applies only to new petitions for workers outside the U.S.
or seeking consular or port notification. It does not cover petitions filed or approved before Sept. 21, 2025 or travel by current holders. The distinction matters for workers changing status inside the United States. The Council on Foreign Relations, citing USCIS, reports 283,397 H-1B approvals for Indian-born workers in FY2024. That was about 71% of all H-1B approvals, with China next at about 12%.
What practical checks should workers make now?
Tabla analysts, citing NASSCOM data, note the freeze does not revoke valid H-1B status. They report Indian IT firms filed under 2% of PERMs in Oct. 2024-Sept. 2025.
The practical harm falls on workers seeking employer-sponsored green cards through a frozen employer. It is not immediate job loss. Ask your employer's immigration team these questions before making plans. Keep copies of PERM receipts, H-1B approval notices, and travel records together for any review.
- Is my PERM filed by a frozen employer and now paused?
- Does my H-1B petition involve consular or port notification after Sept. 21, 2025?
- Which EB category would apply to any future filing, and on what filing date?
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