India calls Vance's 'indentured servants' remark deeply offensive
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India's foreign ministry on 9 October 2026 criticised US Vice President JD Vance's remark on foreign tech workers after the US suspended eight firms from the PERM green card step.
What Happened
India's Ministry of External Affairs on Friday, 9 October 2026, criticised remarks by US Vice President JD Vance, who had described foreign technology workers as "foreign indentured servants". Vance spoke a day earlier, on Thursday, 8 October, when the US administration announced that eight companies were suspended from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme, a step in the employer-sponsored green card process. The ministry called such descriptions unwarranted and said terminology carrying painful historical and colonial connotations is deeply offensive.
Key Facts
- On 8 October 2026 the US announced the suspension of eight companies from the PERM programme: Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe.
- Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling made the announcement alongside Vice President Vance.
- The Labour Department will not accept new PERM applications from these companies or process pending ones.
- The suspensions do not by themselves cancel existing H-1B visas, according to the MEA.
- The administration said Microsoft and Adobe were suspended because they faced multiple active federal investigations.
- The MEA said Indian professionals in the United States are highly skilled contributors to its economy and innovation.
- The ministry also expressed disappointment at the measures and said they do not serve the shared ambitions of the two countries.
Why It Matters
PERM is the labour certification an employer must obtain before sponsoring a worker for a green card. A suspension of a company from this step blocks a route to permanent residence for its employees, even if their current visas stay valid. Several of the named firms employ large numbers of Indian engineers, so the decision reaches many Indian families.
The wording drew the sharpest reaction. The term "indentured" recalls the colonial-era system under which labourers from India were shipped to work on plantations abroad. By objecting to it in a public statement, New Delhi signalled that it would respond to language it sees as demeaning, while keeping the focus of its statement on the contribution of Indian professionals.
The episode also tests a relationship that both governments describe as a partnership built on technology and people-to-people ties. The MEA stressed that the history of the United States has itself been shaped by generations of immigrants. Its message was one of disagreement over the measures and the language, not a break in ties.
What happens next is not yet clear. The reports do not say how long the suspensions will last, and they do not record any response from the named companies.
Developments at a glance Date | Event 8 October 2026 | US announces suspension of eight firms from PERM 9 October 2026 | MEA calls the remarks unwarranted and deeply offensive
Impact
Short-term: Employees of the named firms may see green card sponsorship paused. The firms are expected to review how the suspension affects their staff.
Long-term: The dispute may shape how India and the US handle skilled-worker mobility, which matters for India's technology services sector and for the Indian diaspora.
Who is affected: Indian and other foreign professionals at the eight companies, their employers, and families waiting for permanent residence in the United States.
Key Takeaway
India has publicly objected to a US leader's description of foreign tech workers while the US suspends eight firms from green card sponsorship.
Questions and Answers
What did India's foreign ministry object to?
It objected to Vice President JD Vance's description of foreign tech workers as "foreign indentured servants", calling such terminology deeply offensive because of its colonial associations.
Which companies were suspended from the PERM programme?
Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe.
Does the suspension cancel existing H-1B visas?
No. The MEA clarified that the suspension does not by itself affect existing H-1B visas. It stops new and pending PERM applications from these companies.
When did this happen?
The US announced the suspensions on 8 October 2026, and India responded on 9 October 2026.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
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