# India rebukes Vance over H-1B visa worker comments

> India's foreign ministry calls US Vice President JD Vance's description of foreign workers as "indentured servants" deeply offensive, as the Labor Department suspends eight companies from the PERM green card programme.
- Title: India rebukes Vance over H-1B visa worker comments | Shortify
- Summary: India's foreign ministry calls US Vice President JD Vance's description of foreign workers as "indentured servants" deeply offensive, as the Labor Department…
- Keywords: jd vance, india, h-1b visas, perm programme, microsoft, adobe, cognizant, infosys, tata consultancy services, wipro, hcl, capgemini
- Source: The Next Web — https://thenextweb.com/news/india-vance-indentured-servants-perm-suspension
- Author: Alina Maria Stan
- Published: 2026-10-09T20:28:11+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: jd vance, india, h-1b visas, perm programme, microsoft, adobe, cognizant, infosys, tata consultancy services, wipro, hcl, capgemini
## Vance calls foreign workers indentured servants
US Vice President JD Vance announced Thursday that the Labor Department is suspending eight companies from the PERM programme, which sponsors foreign workers for green cards.

> indentured servants
## Eight companies suspended from PERM
The suspended companies are Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL and France's Capgemini.Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the department will not accept new PERM applications from these eight or process pending ones.
## India calls language deeply offensive
India's foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a briefing in New Delhi on Friday that Vance's description was deeply offensive.

> Resorting to terminology that carries painful historical and colonial legacy connotations is deeply offensive
## PERM suspension does not affect H-1B visas
India's ministry said PERM is distinct from the H-1B visa programme. The suspension does not by itself affect the validity of H-1B visas or the status of visa holders and their families, though it could…
## Microsoft is biggest PERM user
Microsoft is the largest user of PERM according to a GeekWire analysis of Labor Department data.
## Lawyers expect court challenges within days
Federal law lets the Labor Department suspend an employer for only one hundred eighty days on its own.After investigation, it can bar an employer for up to three years.
## Key takeaway

India's foreign ministry condemned US Vice President JD Vance's description of foreign workers as indentured servants after the Labor Department suspended eight companies from the PERM green card sponsorship programme.