PERM is the process US employers use when they want to sponsor a foreign worker for a green card through employment. In practical terms, it is one of the main pathways that allows some H-1B workers, to move from temporary status to permanent residence in the United States. On October 8, 2026 Vice President JD Vance announced that Microsoft, along with Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Wipro, Capgemini, HCL Technologies, and Tata Consultancy Services would be suspended from using the PERM process, a step that could prevent the tech leaders from sponsoring certain H-1B workers for permanent residency in the US. 
Officials said the suspension would “last as long as it needs to.”