India, Oct. 9 -- The United States Department of Labor (DOL) has suspended several major technology companies, including Microsoft, Infosys and Tata, from participating in the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme, citing concerns that foreign hiring practices could adversely affect American workers.

The programme is a crucial step in the employer-sponsored Green Card process for foreign professionals seeking permanent residency in the United States.

"Since 2009, just these companies alone have requested almost 3 million foreign workers. They've received over 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labour certifications. That's hundreds of thousands of jobs that were taken from American workers," Sonderling was ...