India, Oct. 9 -- India on Friday, October 9, responded to the US Department of Labor's decision to suspend certain companies from the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) programme. It also criticised remarks by the US Vice President on the issue.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said PERM is distinct from the H-1B visa programme. The suspension of PERM applications does not, by itself, affect existing H-1B visas or the status of H-1B holders and their dependents. The MEA said there could be some impact on the Green Card process for eligible employees of the affected companies.

The US has suspended eight companies from the programme, according to reports. They include Indian IT firms Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consul...