India slams JD Vance's H-1B remarks, defends Indian workers

New Delhi: India’s external affairs ministry condemned US vice president JD Vance’s description of H-1B workers as “foreign indentured servants”, calling the remarks unwarranted and deeply offensive. It also clarified that the US decision to suspend the permanent labour certification (PERM) programme for certain companies does not automatically affect the validity of existing H-1B visas or the status of current visa holders and their dependents.

In a strongly worded statement less than 24 hours after Vance’s remarks, the ministry said Friday, “We have also seen some comments in this context by the US Vice President. We believe that such descriptions are unwarranted and ignore the fact that Indian professionals in the United States are highly educated and skilled contributors to its economy and innovation ecosystem.”

Also Read: Green card woes deepen for Indian tech workers


Vance had made the remarks on Thursday, where he criticised the H-1B visa programme and the employer-sponsored green card (PERM) process.

PERM is distinct from H-1B’

The US leader accused companies of replacing American workers with foreign employees to reduce costs. Highlighting the contribution of immigrants to the US, the external affairs ministry said, “Indeed, the history of the United States itself has been shaped by generations of immigrants whose labour, enterprise and innovation have contributed to its growth and prosperity. Resorting to terminology that carries painful historical and colonial legacy connotations is deeply offensive.”

Also Read: US green card delays - What options do Indian tech workers have if PERM is suspended

The ministry said that the Indian government is aware of the US Department of Labor’s decision concerning the PERM programme for certain companies. “It should be noted that PERM is distinct from the H-1B visa programme,” the statement said. “The suspension of PERM applications does not, by itself, affect the validity of existing H-1B visas or the status of H-1B visa holders and their dependents, though there could be some impact on the permanent-residency/Green Card process of eligible employees of the affected companies.”

While PERM is a labour-certification process that allows eligible employers to sponsor foreign workers for green card or permanent residency, an H-1B visa is a temporary, nonimmigrant work visa for specialised occupations. The ministry stressed that talent mobility adds value to both economies. “While it creates opportunities for Indians, it equally helps US companies with cutting-edge talent, innovation, research, productivity, competitiveness and job creation, besides creating shareholder wealth in the US,” it said. “This is therefore an area of tremendous mutual benefit for the two countries, and our expectation is that all stakeholders in this process can appreciate this fact.

The steps announced by the US do not advance the shared ambitions of both countries.” The US administration on Thursday suspended eight tech companies from the PERM green card programme as part of a wider crackdown on employment-based immigration. The move prevents these companies—Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini—from filing new permanent labour certification applications and halts the processing of pending applications under the programme.

Vance on Thursday accused Microsoft of replacing American workers with non-Americans, arguing that the company should prioritise hiring US citizens rather than foreign workers. “In the last year, Microsoft laid off 6,000 American workers. At the same time, the company benefited from 6,300 H-1B visas and almost 3,000 green cards. In other words, if you do the math, for every worker that Microsoft laid off, they replaced that worker with one and a half foreign indentured servants,” he said.

US labour secretary Keith Sonderling announced the decision at a press conference led by Vance, linking the action to ongoing criminal and federal investigations. It came aday after the US Department of Homeland Security proposed new fees for F-1 non-immigrant students seeking to participate in Optional Practical Training, a temporary employment authorisation programme. The department described the measure as an effort to protect American workers and strengthen the integrity of the immigration system.