Google pauses new green card applications for foreign employees

Google has announced that it will be temporarily halting its Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) process for obtaining employer-sponsored immigrant visas (green cards) for its foreign employees. This news comes after the company recently announced the layoff of 12,000 employees globally. In an email sent to its foreign employees, Google stated that the decision was difficult but necessary, and that it would not impact other visa applications or programs.

A green card is different from an H1B Visa, as the latter only allows an individual to live and work in the US temporarily. The PERM program, on the other hand, allows for a permanent stay in the country, as long as the individual renews it every ten years. The process of obtaining a green card through the PERM program involves obtaining a “Labor Certification (LC)” from the Department of Labor (DOL), and then filing an immigrant worker petition with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) within six months.

The reason for Google’s decision to pause new green card applications is not clear, but it could be related to the recent layoff of thousands of employees. It could also be challenging for the company to fight the USCIS to accept foreign IT professionals as permanent residents in light of current economic conditions. However, the company has not provided any official statement to confirm the reasons.

In any case, this decision is likely to cause some inconvenience and uncertainty for the affected employees and their families, who were looking to obtain a green card and make the US their permanent home. The company has not specified when it plans to resume the PERM process and the impact on the affected employees is yet to be seen.