India condemns JD Vance over deeply offensive H-1B visa remarks

Row over 'indentured servants' comment

India has strongly condemned US Vice President JD Vance for describing H-1B visa holders as "foreign indentured servants", calling the comments "unwarranted" and "deeply offensive".

The diplomatic row follows a decision by the US Department of Labor to suspend applications under its Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) programme—a step towards green cards—for eight major technology and IT services companies. The affected firms include Indian outsourcing giants Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, and HCL Technologies, alongside US-headquartered Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, and Capgemini.

Backing the suspension in a message on 8 October, Mr Vance warned companies they could not lay off US citizens to recruit cheaper labour from abroad. "You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants," he said.

India's sharp response

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a strongly worded response on Friday, defending the credentials of Indian professionals working in the US.

The ministry said that using terminology associated with "painful historical and colonial legacy connotations" was deeply offensive. Indian professionals, it added, are highly educated and skilled contributors who help drive the US economy and its innovation ecosystem.

The MEA also argued that the suspension of the green-card applications does not help the relationship between the two nations, stating that the curbs "do not advance the shared ambitions" of India and the US.

What the PERM suspension means

The ministry sought to reassure workers already in the US on temporary visas, clarifying that the suspension of the PERM programme is distinct from the H-1B visa programme itself.

According to the MEA, the decision will not affect the validity of existing H-1B visas or the status of their holders and dependents. However, it acknowledged there could be some impact on the permanent-residency and green-card process for eligible employees at the eight affected firms.

Under the PERM programme, US employers must prove there are no qualified American workers available to fill a position before they can sponsor a foreign worker for permanent residency. By suspending the process for these eight major firms, the US government has stopped accepting new applications and put a hold on processing pending ones.

The MEA emphasised that talent mobility is a two-way street that benefits both nations, helping American businesses access the global talent needed to drive research and job creation. It noted that the history of the US itself has been built and shaped by successive generations of immigrants whose labour, enterprise, and innovation have driven its growth.