US Suspends Cognizant PERM Filings Amid Visa Probe

The United States Department of Labour temporarily suspended Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) filings for Cognizant and Cloudera on 8 September 2026. PERM is the first formal step in many employer-sponsored applications for permanent residency in the United States.

Permanent Labour Certification

PERM is the labour certification process used by the United States Department of Labour for employment-based immigrant visa sponsorship. Employers use it to show that no qualified United States worker is available for a specific job before filing for a Green Card process.

H-1B and Employment-Based Immigration

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant work visa for speciality occupations in the United States. The PERM route is linked to employment-based permanent residency, while H-1B status is used for temporary skilled work.

Companies and Enforcement Action

Cognizant is an information technology services company founded in Chennai, India, and headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey. Cloudera is a software company that also faced the temporary filing suspension, and no formal criminal charges had been filed against either company as of 9 September 2026.

Important Facts for Exams

• The United States Department of Labour handles labour certification under the PERM system for employer-sponsored immigration.
• The H-1B visa is commonly used by technology companies for skilled foreign workers in the United States.
• Cognizant received 3,510 H-1B petition approvals for fiscal year 2026.
• US Citizenship and Immigration Services is the federal agency that processes immigration and naturalisation benefits.

Investigation Context

The suspension formed part of a nationwide investigation launched in July 2026 into H-1B and PERM visa programmes. The probe examined wage-related abuses and fraudulent applications in employment-based immigration filings.