New Delhi, Oct. 9 -- The US government's decision to suspend Microsoft, Adobe and six other major technology and IT services companies from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme has raised concerns about the impact on foreign workers seeking permanent residency.

The suspension, announced by the Trump administration on Thursday (October 8) bars the affected companies from submitting new PERM applications and stops the processing of pending applications, according to US officials. The administration has accused the companies of abusing the system to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign employees.

The eight companies named are Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCL Techno...