Rubio says U.S. work visa changes are not aimed at India
- Marco Rubio said U.S. immigration measures apply to every country in the world.
- The U.S. suspended Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini from PERM.
- Microsoft and Adobe were also suspended from the PERM program.
- Rubio spoke to India Today News during his visit to India.
NEW DELHI, INDIA — United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sought to play down concerns in India about recent changes to U.S. work visa rules, arguing that the measures apply globally and are not aimed at India. His comments follow the suspension of six major IT outsourcing firms from a key green card process.
‘It is global’
Rubio made the remarks in an interview with India Today News during his visit to India, ThePrint reported on Oct. 23, carrying an Asian News International (ANI) report. “It’s not one that’s built on India. It’s not one that’s focused on India…It happens to impact Indians that want to come to the United States and work and that our businesses are trying to bring in, but it’s not geared towards India. It is global,” Rubio said.
He said business-related immigration programs had in many cases seen “rampant fraud and abuse,” and that the measures to address this “apply to any country, every country in the world.”
The green card suspension
The U.S. Labor Department suspended Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCL and Capgemini from the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) program this month, along with Microsoft and Adobe. The department said the companies had collectively sought millions of foreign workers and received hundreds of thousands of H-1B visa approvals and permanent labor certifications.
OA reported on Oct. 12 that Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling announced the suspension on Oct. 8, citing criminal and federal investigations. The suspension does not cancel existing H-1B visas or green cards.
Rubio said the steps are aimed at protecting American workers. “I also hope everyone understands that the United States under President Trump is going to put our people first, our workers first and our country first,” he told India Today News.
India pushes back
India has said the movement of skilled professionals benefits both countries by supporting innovation, research, productivity and job creation. It has also said recent U.S. measures do not support the two countries’ shared objectives.
Business Today reported on Oct. 21 that Rubio, on his second visit to India in five months, described visa restrictions as “not targeted towards India.” “There is virtually no country on Earth that I visit where I don’t get a complaint about some visa or process, because we are fixing it globally,” he said.
What it means for employers
Rubio framed the measures as global and focused on protecting American workers, while the PERM suspension covers some of the largest IT outsourcing firms in the world.
U.S. companies that rely on visa-sponsored onsite teams can weigh more offshore outsourcing or global capability center (GCC) delivery, and compare providers on the top BPO companies worldwide list.
Related news
- DHS plans to end deference on H-1B and other visa extensions · 20 Oct 2026
- U.S. green card freeze puts India’s $221.4Bn IT exports at risk: GTRI · 13 Oct 2026
- U.S. freezes green card filings for TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant · 12 Oct 2026
Disclosure: Outsource Accelerator uses AI tools in the backend of its editorial workflow. Every article is reviewed and verified by a human editor before publication.
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