US Green Card freeze: Why TCS says its US business will stay safe
The US has suspended TCS, Infosys, Wipro and five other firms from the PERM green card programme. TCS says it won’t affect its workforce or clients
PTC Web Desk: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has said the US decision to suspend it from the green card programme will not change how it hires or how it serves its clients.
On Thursday, the US government suspended eight IT companies from applying for green cards on behalf of foreign workers. Besides TCS, the list includes Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant and Microsoft. Washington’s argument is that the practice has made it harder for American workers to get jobs.
TCS responded on Friday. The company said it filed only a handful of applications under the programme, known as PERM, in the last two years. “Our PERM applications were in single digits in the last two years,” it said, so it doesn’t see the suspension affecting its workforce plans or customer work.
The company added that it will follow whatever instructions the US Department of Labour gives. TCS also stressed that its US strategy is built around hiring local talent, backed by a strong campus recruitment system. It says it has built a large local team across 31 offices and delivery centres in the country. It had also announced earlier that it plans to hire another 15,000 people in the US over the next five years.
Nasscom: two separate issues
Industry body Nasscom also weighed in. It said immigration and the movement of skilled talent are “two distinct issues” and shouldn’t be seen as the same thing. According to Nasscom, this decision affects one specific immigration route, and the body has always argued that the two should be kept apart.
Growing pressure on Indian IT
The move comes at a time when Indian IT firms are already dealing with a tougher environment in the US. Work visas are getting closer scrutiny and H-1B applications now cost more. The US is the biggest market for India’s USD 300-billion IT industry and companies there depend on skilled professionals being able to move across borders. This latest step adds to the uncertainty.
US H-1B crackdown: Tata, Infosys, Cognizant among 8 IT firms barred from Green Card filing| What it means for Indians