India’s Ministry of External Affairs has responded to the United States decision to suspend eight technology companies from the Permanent Labour Certification programme, a key step for employment-based green cards.

“The steps announced by the US do not advance the shared ambitions of both countries,” the MEA said in a statement issued on October 9. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared the statement on social media.

The MEA clarified that the PERM programme is distinct from the H-1B visa programme. It said the suspension does not by itself affect the validity of existing H-1B visas, though it could affect the permanent residency process of eligible employees of the affected companies.

The ministry criticised US Vice President JD Vance for calling foreign workers “indentured servants”, saying such descriptions ignore the fact that Indian professionals in the US are highly educated.

The US Department of Labour named Microsoft, Adobe, Infosys, TCS, Cognizant, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini. It will not accept new PERM applications or process pending ones involving these firms.