India has strongly objected to US Vice President JD Vance’s description of foreign workers as “indentured servants” amid Washington’s latest crackdown on employment-based green card processing, calling the remarks “unwarranted” and “deeply offensive.”
The Ministry of External Affairs said the movement of skilled professionals benefits both India and the United States, creating opportunities for Indian workers while also helping American companies access talent in innovation, research and technology.
The ministry said such talent mobility contributes to productivity, competitiveness, job creation and shareholder wealth in the US, and described it as an area of significant mutual benefit for both countries. It added that the latest US measures do not advance the shared ambitions of India and the United States.
India’s response came after the Trump administration suspended eight major companies — Microsoft, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, Infosys, Adobe, Cognizant, HCL Technologies and Capgemini — from the Permanent Labor Certification, or PERM, programme. The move affects a key step in the employer-sponsored green card process.
India Clarifies Impact on H-1B Workers
New Delhi stressed that the PERM programme is separate from the H-1B visa system.
The ministry said the suspension of PERM applications does not, by itself, invalidate existing H-1B visas or affect the legal status of H-1B workers and their dependents.
However, it acknowledged that the move could affect the permanent residency or green card process of eligible employees working for the companies covered by the suspension.
The Foreign Ministry also criticised Vance’s choice of words, arguing that Indian professionals in the United States are highly educated and skilled contributors to the country’s economy and innovation ecosystem.
It said the use of terminology associated with a painful historical and colonial legacy was deeply offensive.
India also pointed to the broader history of the United States, noting that generations of immigrants have contributed significantly to its growth and prosperity.
What JD Vance Said
Vance singled out Microsoft while announcing the action and accused the company of abusing the system.
He said Microsoft had laid off around 6,000 American workers while benefiting from about 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards, and used those figures to argue that foreign workers were replacing Americans.
Vance said Microsoft and other US companies should prioritise hiring American workers, describing the current system as unfair to domestic employees.
Microsoft, however, has said that most of its H-1B filings were for extensions involving existing employees and has defended its compliance with US immigration rules.
The controversy has now added a diplomatic dimension to the US immigration crackdown, with India making it clear that it strongly disagrees with both the language used against skilled foreign workers and the broader approach being taken toward talent mobility.
