India, Oct. 9 -- The United States on Thursday suspended Adobe, Microsoft, and six major IT services companies, including Capgemini, Cognizant, HCLTech, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and Wipro, from a programme that sponsors foreign workers for permanent residency, citing alleged immigration fraud and concerns about American jobs.

The decision, announced by US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Labour Keith Sonderling on 8 October, blocks new and pending applications under the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme.

"Our message to Microsoft is: You are a great American company, but you have got to hire great American workers," Vance said, singling out the US technology company over its employment practices. ...