Amazon and Google have paused US green card applications for immigrants for the remainder of 2024, amidst recent layoffs by tech giants like Microsoft. This move has intensified competition, making the situation more challenging for foreign workers. The suspension of the green card application process could make it more difficult for overseas candidates, particularly in the tech industry, to reside in the US for work. Both companies have halted the PERM applications until next year.
What is PERM?
PERM, overseen by the US Department of Labor, is a process for obtaining permanent labor certification. It ensures that admitting foreign workers does not adversely affect job opportunities, wages, or working conditions for US workers. PERM is often the first step towards obtaining a green card.
Amazon and Google paused PERM
Amazon announced internally earlier this year that it would pause all PERM filings through 2024, citing an inability to continue with the process. Google also suspended its PERM applications earlier, in January 2023, and laid off 12,000 employees. The company informed employees that it would not resume the PERM process until the first quarter of 2025.
Ava Benach, founding partner of Benach Collopy, a renowned immigration law firm in Washington DC, told the outlet that tech companies are following Google’s approach because to its “outsized influence here.”
“With more US workers available for open positions, the labor market test fails and so the process becomes a waste of time and money for these tech companies,” Collopy explained.
“If tech companies have done layoffs relatively recently, they also have to notify laid off workers of new positions that may be going to foreign workers. If some of these people say ‘yes, I’m interested,’ then you’re out of luck with the green card application,” she added, per the outlet.
While Amazon and Google have halted PERM applications, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is said to still be sponsoring green cards, albeit at a notably slower pace. According to a current employee, the process now takes “a year or more.”
Why the process has become difficult?
The report noted that significant layoffs at Google, Amazon, Meta, and other tech firms have made the immigration process more challenging. Companies are now required to demonstrate that employees who were laid off are not qualified for the positions they intend to fill with foreign workers. They must also notify any recent layoffs (within the past six months) before submitting PERM applications for foreign hires.
In a recent letter to the US government, Google highlighted the need for updates to immigration rules regarding Green Cards and hiring practices, particularly in light of the company’s need for AI technology experts.
“We anticipate a substantial increase in our demand for AI Engineer roles, such as Software Engineer, Research Engineer, and Research Scientist roles, in the coming years. While AI advancements hold tremendous promise, the scarcity of skilled professionals threatens to impede their full potential,” Google stated in the letter.