Pan IIT Alumni India has now urged IITians to return to India, claiming that India now offers better opportunities amid uncertainty surrounding US immigration policies, including the recent developments related to PERM labour certification and under the administration. Taking to X, the body which represents alumni of 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), extended concerns over ongoing visa issues in the US involving the US PERM programme.
Calling for fair and transparent immigration policies, the organisation warned against stereotyping Indian talent. It also commented on referring to Indian professionals as “indentured servants”.
“PanIIT Alumni India notes with concern the recent developments in the United States regarding the PERM programme and the treatment of skilled Indian professionals on H-1B visas. We respect the sovereign right of every nation to shape its immigration policy. However, we urge that such policy be applied fairly, transparently, and without stigmatising a community of professionals whose contributions to the American economy and society are well documented,” the statement read.
“For over five decades, Indian engineers and technologists — a large number of them IIT alumni – have been among the most productive contributors to American innovation, research, and industry. They have built products, filed patents, founded companies, and created jobs on American soil. To characterise them collectively as “indentured servants” is neither accurate nor fair,” it added.
Prabhat Kumar, IRS, chairman of PanIIT Alumni India, said the ongoing situation should put focus on Indian talents shifting abroad.
“For decades, we celebrated when our brightest minds left for American shores. It is time we asked what we lost in the process. A visa was never a stable foundation for a career, and this week’s events prove it. The IIT covenant was nation before self. The most exciting problems and the greatest impact – now await our engineers at home. Build here. Scale here. Die here,” he said.
Earlier, India criticised the US decision to restrict a key green-card processing programme for major tech firms, including Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Microsoft, Adobe, Capgemini and Cognizant.
The Trump administration suspended the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) programme for eight IT majors in an effort to reduce the number of foreign workers in the US and create job opportunities for Americans.
The move is likely to affect Indian techies who rely on employer-sponsored green cards for permanent residency in the US after entering the country on H-1B visas.
