Sridhar Vembu urges Indians to return home after US freezes Green Card process at 8 tech firms

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu on Friday urged Indians working in the United States to consider returning home and helping build India’s technology ecosystem, saying the country’s immigration curbs have left professionals facing uncertainty despite their contributions to America’s technological growth.

“Indians have made a major contribution to America's technological prowess. Yet, a big part of America no longer wants us,” Vembu wrote in a post on X.

His remarks come after the US administration suspended eight technology companies from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme, a key step in the employment-based Green Card process. The affected companies include Indian IT services firms Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech and Cognizant, along with Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe.


“Indians who are on a visa in the US face the painful prospect of uprooting the life you have built with hard work,” he added, urging them to look at the moment as an opportunity to help shape India’s future. Let this be the birth pains of a bold new future. Come back, let's build India,” he said.

What is the US PERM suspension?

The US Department of Labour’s action freezes new and pending PERM applications at the affected companies. PERM is a labour certification process that employers generally need to complete before sponsoring eligible foreign workers for employment-based permanent residency.

Also Read: India reacts to US' PERM move against IT cos Infosys to Wipro, says Vance's 'indentured servants' comments 'unwarranted'

The move has raised concerns among Indian professionals whose long-term plans in the US depend on employer-sponsored Green Cards. However, the suspension does not, by itself, cancel existing H-1B visas or change the immigration status of H-1B visa holders and their dependents. It could affect the Green Card process for eligible employees of the companies concerned.

US Vice President JD Vance has criticised the use of foreign-worker programmes, while the administration has said the action follows federal investigations into the companies. The move has brought renewed scrutiny to the employment pathways used by Indian technology professionals in the US.

India calls ‘indentured servants’ remark offensive

The Ministry of External Affairs has also pushed back against comments describing foreign workers as “indentured servants”, calling the terminology “deeply offensive” and saying Indian professionals are highly educated and skilled contributors to the US economy and innovation ecosystem.

The MEA said talent mobility benefits both countries, pointing to the contribution of Indian professionals to research, productivity, competitiveness and job creation in the US. It also clarified that the PERM suspension is separate from the H-1B visa programme.