The United States-based technology companies such as Cognizant, Amazon, Cisco, Facebook, and Google have together filed green card applications, or those seeking talented immigrants with permanent residency to work their offices in the U.S., to a greater extent.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor Data, only two Indian companies – Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys found a spot in a list of the top ten applicants for employer green cards in the six months to March 2019.
The Department of Labor follows an October to the September calendar year.
Amazon has filed 1,500 applications, the largest among the ten companies. The U.S. headquartered Cognizant Technology Services is second with more than 1,300 employer green card applications, followed by Cisco. TCS, with 1,009 applications comes fourth on that list, while Infosys is in the seventh position, according to the data. Nevertheless, it is still unclear how many of these applications will convert into permanent residency permits.
A spokesperson for Cognizant, which has largest employee base in India, said it consistently sponsors employees in “securing legal permanent residence in the U.S. precisely because they are highly-skilled, highly-educated knowledge professionals who are valuable assets to our company and clients.”
According to the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), the data support its contention that there is a deficit of skilled talent in the United States and that American firms are recruiting people from where it is available the most – India.
“While it is a company’s decision on how it wants to recruit and retain talent, this is a reflection of the talent shortage with low unemployment rates and increased demand for digital skills,” said Shivendra Singh, vice-president of the global trade department at NASSCOM.
The H-1B visa application enables them to stay and work in the U.S. legally while it is in process.
Even though companies pay for a worker’s H-1B visa application, the responsibility for a green card rests with the individual. However, many companies apply for an I-140 or Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker to retain a highly valued or skilled resource.
A prospective employer submits the Form I-140 to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to petition for an alien to work in the U.S. permanently.
Presently, it takes an Indian applicant for more than eight years to receive permanent resident status or green card.
