US visa roadblock: Why Indian IT giants may bet big on offshore hiring

For millions of Indians, the American dream followed a familiar path. An engineering degree would lead to a job at an IT services company, followed by an opportunity to move to the US on an H-1B visa. After years of working there and renewing their visas, many would apply for a green card and eventually seek permanent residency. This path could now become harder.

On October 8, the US Department of Labor suspended new and pending applications under the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) programme involving eight technology companies. These include Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCLTech and Capgemini.