Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT services company, has said that the US government’s suspension of a green card programme will not affect its workforce strategy or client relationships. The company said it had filed only a single-digit number of applications under the programme over the past two years and remained focused on hiring local talent in the United States.
 

On Thursday, the US government suspended eight technology companies, including TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant and Microsoft, from participating in a programme that allows employers to apply for green cards for foreign workers. The move was based on the argument that the practice had excluded American workers from the job market.
 

In a statement, TCS said its applications under the Permanent Labour Certification programme, known as PERM, had remained in single digits over the past two years. As a result, it did not expect the suspension to affect its workforce strategy or relationships with clients.
 

The company also said it would comply with any directions issued by the US Department of Labor. It reiterated that its workforce strategy in the US was firmly focused on recruiting local talent, supported by a strong campus hiring model.
 

TCS said it had built a substantial local workforce across 31 offices and delivery centres throughout the United States.
 

As announced earlier, the company plans to recruit an additional 15,000 people in the US over the next five years as part of its efforts to further expand its local workforce.
 

Meanwhile, industry body Nasscom said immigration and the movement of skilled talent were two separate issues and should not be viewed through the same lens. Its remarks came after the US suspended eight technology companies, including major Indian firms, from the green card programme.
 

The development has brought renewed attention to the distinction between immigration policies and the technology sector’s workforce requirements. TCS, however, has maintained that its emphasis on local recruitment and its limited use of the PERM programme mean the suspension is not expected to disrupt its hiring plans or client relationships.