The United States Department of Labour Tuesday announced that the green card filings of India-founded technology giant Cognizant had been suspended, adding that “threats to American workers” will not be tolerated.
The announcement falls in line with the Donald Trump-led administration’s aggressive policy against alleged visa abuse, reflecting a broader effort to tighten immigration controls and protect jobs for American workers. The development also comes at a time when Cognizant is facing the heat over alleged visa abuse.
In a post on X, Labour Department’s Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito wrote: “Threats to American workers will NOT be tolerated. Alongside @WHFraudTF, we’re following facts, fraud and finances. Handcuffs await”.
Fighting fraud is a TEAM SPORT.@Sonderling47 and I are for real.@Cognizant’s PERM filings are suspended. @DOLOIG is on the hunt.
Threats to American workers will NOT be tolerated.
Alongside @WHFraudTF, we’re following facts, fraud and finances.
Handcuffs await.
— Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito (@USLaborIG) September 8, 2026
News18 Also Covered: ‘Handcuffs Await’: US Suspends India-Founded Tech Giant Cognizant’s Green Card Filings Amid Visa Abuse Probe
In September last year, the Trump administration kicked off “Project Firewall”, an initiative aimed at targeting employers who abuse the H-1B visa programme.
The H-1B visa programme, according to the US Department of Labour, allows employers to “temporarily employ foreign workers in the U.S. on a nonimmigrant basis in specialty occupations or as fashion models of distinguished merit and ability.”
Under the current law, the annual number of qualifying foreign workers who may be issued a visa or otherwise be provided H-1B status is 65,000, in addition to an additional 20,000 under the H-1B advanced degree exemption.
How Is It Going To Affect Foreign Workers
Cognizant was founded in Chennai in 1994 and is now headquartered in the United States. It is one of the largest applicants for H-1B visas in corporate America.
According to US Citizenship and Immigrant Services, the firm has received 3,510 approved H-1B visa petitions, placing it behind tech and IT giants including Amazon, TCS, Infosys, Apple and Microsoft.
Since the US Department of Labour has suspended the green card filings of Cognizant, the firm can no longer seek fresh green card filings to hire foreign employees while the government investigation is active.
Workers with applications already submitted are likely to face major delays and uncertainty about whether those files will move forward.
However, the suspension only targets the green card PERM process. It does not cancel existing H-1B work visas.
