NEW DELHI: Terming US Vice President JD Vance’s comments on foreign workers “unwarranted” and “deeply offensive”, India on Friday said talent mobility adds value to both economies, asserting that Indian professionals make significant contributions to American innovation, productivity and job creation.
The External Affairs Ministry said the US decision to suspend Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) applications for certain companies does not, by itself, affect the validity of existing H-1B visas.
The MEA’s response came after Vance accused Microsoft of abusing the PERM programme to replace American workers with non-Americans. Defending the need to prioritise domestic employment, Vance said companies should hire “great American workers” rather than replace them with “foreign indentured servants."
Rejecting the characterisation, the MEA said such descriptions “ignore the fact that Indian professionals in the United States are highly educated and skilled contributors to its economy and innovation ecosystem”.
“Resorting to terminology that carries painful historical and colonial legacy connotations is deeply offensive,” the MEA said, invoking the contribution of generations of immigrants to America’s economic growth and prosperity.
The Indian response comes amid a US decision to suspend eight companies from the PERM programme, including American firms Microsoft, Adobe and Capgemini, and Indian IT majors Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro and HCL.
PERM is a labour-certification process that employers generally need to complete before sponsoring eligible foreign workers for employment-based green cards. The suspension could therefore disrupt the permanent-residency process for eligible employees of the affected companies.
Clarifying the distinction between the two immigration modes, the MEA said PERM is separate from the H-1B visa programme. “The suspension of PERM applications does not, by itself, affect the validity of existing H-1B visas or the status of H-1B visa holders and their dependents,” it said, while acknowledging that the move could affect eligible employees’ Green Card applications.
Making the broader economic case for skilled migration, the ministry said the benefits extend beyond Indian professionals seeking opportunities in the US.
“While it creates opportunities for Indians, it equally helps US companies with cutting-edge talent, innovation, research, productivity, competitiveness and job creation, besides creating shareholder wealth in the US,” the MEA said.
Describing talent mobility as an area of “tremendous mutual benefit” for the two countries, New Delhi added that the latest US measures “do not advance the shared ambitions of both countries."