NEW DELHI: Amazon and Google have suspended U.S. green card applications for immigrants for 2024, in the wake of recent job cuts in the tech industry, including Microsoft. Conditions for foreign workers are becoming increasingly tough due to increased competition, the Daily Guardian reported.
The suspension of the green card application process could further exacerbate the difficulties faced by foreign candidates seeking jobs in the United States, especially in the high-tech sector. Amazon and Google have both suspended PERM applications until next year.
Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor, PERM is a process aimed at securing permanent labor certification. Its primary purpose is to protect the employment opportunities, wages, and working conditions of American workers while admitting foreign workers. PERM often serves as an early step in the process of obtaining a green card.
Amazon made an internal announcement earlier this year announcing its decision to suspend all PERM applications through 2024, citing operational constraints. Google similarly suspended PERM applications in January 2023, along with laying off 12,000 employees. The employee was informed that the PERM process would not resume until the first quarter of his 2025 year.
Ava Benach, founding partner of Benach Collopy, a prominent immigration law firm in Washington, D.C., commented that tech companies are following Google's strategy because Google has a huge influence on the industry.
“This process becomes a waste of time and money for these tech companies because the labor market test fails when more American workers are available to fill open positions,” Collopy said. Collopy explained.
“If a technology company has made relatively recent job cuts, it will also need to notify laid-off workers of any new positions that may be filled by foreign workers,” according to the Daily Guardian. “If some of the people say, 'Yes, I'm interested,' then the green card application is a failure,” she added.
The suspension of the green card application process could further exacerbate the difficulties faced by foreign candidates seeking jobs in the United States, especially in the high-tech sector. Amazon and Google have both suspended PERM applications until next year.
Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor, PERM is a process aimed at securing permanent labor certification. Its primary purpose is to protect the employment opportunities, wages, and working conditions of American workers while admitting foreign workers. PERM often serves as an early step in the process of obtaining a green card.
Amazon made an internal announcement earlier this year announcing its decision to suspend all PERM applications through 2024, citing operational constraints. Google similarly suspended PERM applications in January 2023, along with laying off 12,000 employees. The employee was informed that the PERM process would not resume until the first quarter of his 2025 year.
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“This process becomes a waste of time and money for these tech companies because the labor market test fails when more American workers are available to fill open positions,” Collopy said. Collopy explained.
“If a technology company has made relatively recent job cuts, it will also need to notify laid-off workers of any new positions that may be filled by foreign workers,” according to the Daily Guardian. “If some of the people say, 'Yes, I'm interested,' then the green card application is a failure,” she added.