The Trump administration has suspended eight technology companies from the PERM programme, the permanent labour certification process that employers use to sponsor foreign workers for US green cards. The Federation for American Immigration Reform reported the suspensions on 22 June 2025.

The action removes eight major tech employers from a pipeline that converts temporary skilled workers into permanent residents. PERM certification, run by the Department of Labor, is the mandatory first step before an employer can file an employment-based immigrant petition.

What does the suspension change?

Affected companies can no longer file new PERM applications until the suspension lifts. For foreign workers already employed by these firms, the path to permanent residency through their current employer stalls. Workers may need to change employers to restart the process, since PERM applications tie sponsorship to a specific company.

The report names eight firms but the available summary does not list them individually. Readers should consult the Department of Labor and USCIS announcements for the confirmed roster before acting.

Who is affected?

Three groups face direct consequences:

• Foreign employees of the eight suspended firms who planned PERM-based green card sponsorship
• Candidates with pending applications filed through those employers
• The companies themselves, which lose a primary tool for retaining skilled staff

No figure has been published for how many pending applications the suspensions cover. The absence of that number matters; without it, the scale of the disruption remains unclear.

Why does this matter?

PERM suspensions are rare. The programme processes over 100,000 applications annually in normal years, and tech firms file a large share of them. Removing eight major sponsors at once tightens an already congested system, where backlogs for Indian and Chinese nationals already stretch for years.

The administration has not stated the duration of the suspensions. Nor has it confirmed whether pending cases will be denied, held or transferred. Each of those outcomes carries different consequences for affected workers.

What should affected workers watch?

Official channels will publish the operative details. The Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification posts programme actions and case guidance; USCIS covers downstream petition steps. No private summary substitutes for those notices.

This report does not assess any individual case. Workers with pending or planned PERM filings through the affected firms should verify their employer's status against the official list, then seek counsel on options such as changing sponsors or extending non-immigrant status.

The promise of employer-sponsored green cards now carries a visible caveat: sponsorship depends on the sponsor's standing with the government, and that standing can change by administrative decision.