New Delhi, Oct. 11 -- The Trump administration on Thursday suspended several technology giants and IT outsourcing companies, including Microsoft, Infosys, Cognizant, Tata, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Capgemini and Adobe, from the US government's permanent labour certification programme or PERM.

PERM is an important route through which employers sponsor eligible foreign workers for permanent residency in the United States. The suspension does not automatically revoke existing H-1b visas, but it could disrupt the green-card pathway for workers whose applications are affected.

"Legally, there is presently no prohibition on these companies employing foreign workers in the United States on otherwise valid H-1b visas. What has been suspended is ...