Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) plans to hire an additional 15,000 employees in the US over the next five years, maintaining its local hiring strategy despite the US government’s suspension of its access to the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme.
The company said the suspension was unlikely to affect its workforce plans or client engagements, as its applications under the programme had remained in single digits over the past two years.
The US Department of Labour has suspended eight technology companies, including TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, HCL, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe, from filing new applications or processing pending applications under the programme. The move is part of a broader crackdown on alleged misuse of foreign worker visa programmes.
TCS said it would comply with all directives issued by the US Department of Labour. Its workforce strategy in the country, it added, is centred on hiring local talent, supported by campus recruitment. The company has established a local workforce across 31 offices and delivery centres in the US.
The suspension affects the PERM process, which employers use to demonstrate that qualified US workers are not available for a position before sponsoring an eligible foreign employee for permanent residency. It does not, by itself, prohibit the affected companies from employing workers on H-1B visas.
Industry body Nasscom said immigration and skilled talent mobility should be treated as distinct issues. It noted that Indian technology companies had reduced their dependence on H-1B visas in recent years while expanding local hiring in the US.
The association also said the number of employees transitioning from H-1B visas to permanent residency through the PERM process was relatively limited.
The decision comes amid increased scrutiny of foreign worker programmes and higher costs associated with H-1B applications. The US administration has alleged that some employers have used these programmes at the expense of American workers, while industry representatives have highlighted their role in addressing specialised skill shortages.
For TCS, the planned recruitment underscores its stated intention to continue building its US workforce despite the restrictions on its access to the permanent residency sponsorship process.
