NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — India criticized U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Friday for describing foreign workers as “foreign indentured servants,” calling the language unwarranted and deeply offensive.
The Ministry of External Affairs defended Indian professionals’ contributions to American innovation and economic growth. It also criticized Washington’s suspension of labor certification applications for eight technology companies.
“Resorting to terminology that carries painful historical and colonial legacy connotations is deeply offensive,” the ministry said.
The U.S. Labor Department announced Thursday that it would stop accepting new applications and processing pending applications under the Permanent Labor Certification program, known as PERM, for Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini.
Vance accused companies of using foreign workers to replace American employees and undercut wages. He did not present specific evidence supporting those allegations at the announcement.
PERM generally requires employers to demonstrate that qualified U.S. workers are unavailable for a position and that hiring a foreign worker would not adversely affect comparable American workers’ wages or working conditions. Certification is a required step in many employer-sponsored green card applications.
India emphasized that PERM operates separately from the H-1B temporary work visa program. The suspension does not, by itself, invalidate existing H-1B visas or change the immigration status of their holders and dependents.
The ministry said skilled-worker mobility benefits both countries and that the restrictions do not advance their shared ambitions.
Tata Consultancy Services said it did not expect the suspension to affect its workforce strategy or client engagements, citing only single-digit PERM applications over the past two years. Industry association Nasscom said Indian technology companies have expanded U.S. hiring and reduced their reliance on H-1B workers.
