India, July 10 -- The US Department of Labor is planning to update the process employers use to sponsor foreign workers for employment-based green cards, marking the first major review of the Permanent Labor Certification program, or PERM, in more than two decades.

The department has indicated that the current framework, introduced in 2004, no longer reflects how companies recruit and hire workers today. The proposed changes could bring stricter requirements for employers seeking to sponsor foreign nationals for permanent residency.

The PERM process requires employers to prove that they have made efforts to hire qualified US workers before sponsoring a foreign employee for a green card. The aim is to ensure that employment-based immigra...