Amazon and Google have announced the suspension of US green card applications for immigrants for the remainder of 2024. This decision follows recent layoffs by tech giants such as Microsoft, intensifying competition in the industry.

The situation is becoming increasingly challenging for foreign workers. The halt in the green card application process may make it more difficult for overseas candidates, particularly those in the tech sector, to work and reside in the US. Both Google and Amazon have ceased processing Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) applications until the next year.

The PERM process, overseen by the US Department of Labour, is a crucial step for obtaining permanent labour certification. Its primary objective is to safeguard job opportunities, wages, and working conditions for US workers while admitting foreign workers to the country. This process serves as the first stage in the journey towards acquiring a green card.

According to Business Insider, earlier this year, Amazon internally announced to its employees that the company would halt all PERM filings through 2024. In a memo, the e-commerce giant stated, "it was determined that we are unable to continue with PERM filings through 2024." The memo further expressed awareness that the decision might disappoint employees and emphasised that it was not made lightly.

Similarly, in January 2023, Google suspended its PERM applications and laid off 12,000 employees. Employees were informed this year that the company would not resume the PERM process until the first quarter of 2025, as reported by the outlet. The complexity of the green card process has increased amid the series of significant tech layoffs.

According to Ava Benach, the founding partner of Benach Collopy, a prominent immigration law firm based in Washington DC, tech companies are emulating Google's actions because of its "outsized influence" in the industry. Collopy stated that with an increase in available US workers for vacant positions, the labour market test fails, rendering the process futile and costly for these tech firms.

As per the statements from Ava Benach to the outlet, tech companies must inform laid-off workers of potential positions that might be filled by foreign workers, particularly if layoffs have occurred recently. If any of these individuals express interest in these positions, it can hinder the progress of the green card application process.

Image source: Hindustan Times