Cognizant

US Suspends Cognizant’s PERM Green Card Filings: What’s Next?

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After a summer of visa-fraud scrutiny, Cognizant faces a PERM suspension. Here is the investigation timeline, the historical PERM data, and what employees need to know.

The U.S. government has suspended Cognizant’s PERM filings, blocking a key filing step the company uses to sponsor employees for green cards. Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito announced the action on September 8. For workers relying on Cognizant to sponsor permanent residency, the immediate question is whether their case can move forward.

The move follows a summer of scrutiny. Federal investigators announced a broader H-1B and PERM fraud investigation on July 8. By July 11, public reporting had linked Cognizant’s name to whistleblower complaints discussed by the inspector general. The September announcement brings that scrutiny directly into the company’s PERM filings. July 8 government announcement, July 11 reporting

For Indian professionals, the stakes are clear: a potential interruption to green card sponsorship, with no announced end date in the reporting reviewed. The effect on applications already pending remains unclear. The announcement does not establish an H-1B ban or the cancellation of employees’ existing visas.

What the government has—and has not—announced

D’Esposito’s reported statement says: “Cognizant’s PERM filings are suspended.” He links the action to an anti-fraud effort involving his office and the White House Fraud Task Force.

The IANS report says the material released did not disclose specific allegations, affected application numbers or a suspension period, and identified no criminal charges against the company. It included no Cognizant response. An investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing.

When did the investigation begin? The timeline

July 8, 2026 is the documented launch date of the broader government investigation. The sources reviewed do not establish the opening date of a separate Cognizant-specific case.

DateWhat happenedWhat it establishes
July 8, 2026DOL OIG announced an investigation into H-1B/PERM fraud and worker exploitation.Broader probe; the release does not name Cognizant. Official release
By July 11, 2026Times of India reported that D’Esposito discussed whistleblower complaints mentioning Cognizant and dozens of subpoenas.Public reporting linking the company to scrutiny; the subpoena count concerns the broader probe.
July 14, 2026OIG initiated a separate audit of PERM recruitment requirements.Program-wide review of whether U.S. workers were recruited; not a Cognizant finding.
August 13, 2026OIG reported Dallas field checks in its nationwide H-1B investigation.The release does not identify Cognizant as a visited company.
September 8, 2026D’Esposito announced Cognizant’s PERM suspension on X, according to reproduced reporting.Company-specific suspension announcement.

62 days separate the broader probe’s July 8 launch and the September 8 suspension announcement. That interval describes the public timeline, not the length of a proven Cognizant-specific investigation.

What investigators are looking for

The July 8 announcement described suspected fraudulent applications, coercive wage kickbacks and exploitation of foreign workers across employment-visa programs. Those are allegations discussed in the broader investigation; the release does not attribute each practice to Cognizant. DOL OIG

The separate July 14 audit asks a more specific question about PERM: to what extent were U.S. workers recruited for the advertised vacancies? That matters because recruitment is central to the program’s purpose. OIG audit memorandum

Cognizant’s PERM numbers: historical records, not today’s affected cases

MyVisaJobs’ profile for Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corporation displays the following historical labor-certification status counts. These snapshots provide context; they do not reveal how many applications the September suspension affects.

Fiscal yearCertifiedCertified-withdrawn
2023589510
2024741494

Source: MyVisajobs accessed September 8, 2026. Categories are reproduced as shown. “Certified-withdrawn” is separate from “certified” and is not a denial. These are historical database records, not green cards issued, unique affected employees or a verified count of new filings received in each year. The underlying DOL records were not independently reconciled, and no company-wide 2025 or 2026 zero is inferred.

The number that matters most right now—applications affected by the suspension—was not disclosed in the announcement as reported. Historical volumes cannot fill that gap.

What is PERM—and where does it fit in a green card application?

PERM is an employer-led labor certification process. Broadly, the employer must demonstrate that there are insufficient able, willing, qualified and available U.S. workers for the position, and that employing the foreign worker will not adversely affect comparable U.S. workers’ wages and working conditions.

For cases requiring this certification, the basic sequence is:

  1. The employer completes the required preliminary steps and files its labor certification application.
  2. After certification, the employer submits it with an immigrant worker petition, Form I-140, to USCIS.
  3. The worker still needs to complete the applicable immigration process before becoming a permanent resident.

PERM approval is not a green card. It is an earlier step. DOL says a certified application must be submitted to USCIS within its 180-day validity period. The date DOL receives the labor certification application generally establishes the priority date for these cases.

That explains why a disruption here matters: it can interrupt a case before it reaches the next agency.

Does this mean Cognizant’s H-1B visas are suspended too?

The reported announcement does not establish an H-1B suspension. PERM concerns permanent labor certification; H-1B is a separate temporary employment program. The announcement does not indicate Cognizant’s H-1B program has been suspended.

Employees should therefore distinguish three questions: Can I continue working under my current authorization? Can my employer make a future visa filing? Can my green card sponsorship move forward? A headline about PERM does not answer all three.

There can, however, be a connection between green card progress and future H-1B extensions. USCIS describes circumstances in which a labor certification or I-140 filed at least 365 days before the requested extension start date can support H-1B extensions beyond the usual six-year limit. Eligibility depends on the case.

The practical implication is that a filing delay may deserve more urgent attention for someone approaching a deadline than for someone early in their U.S. employment. An immigration lawyer should assess that timing using the employee’s actual records.

What should Cognizant employees ask now?

The useful next step is to get a written, case-specific answer from the company’s immigration team or the attorney handling the sponsorship.

Ask:

  • What stage is my case at? Recruitment, PERM filed, PERM certified, I-140 pending or I-140 approved?
  • Has my case actually been affected? Request the relevant notice or written explanation.
  • Which deadline needs attention first? Ask about current status, any upcoming extension and any certification expiry.
  • What happens next? Is the team awaiting agency instructions, preparing a response or taking another step?
  • When will I receive another update? A clear follow-up date is more useful than an open-ended assurance.

These are questions to clarify the situation, not a recommendation to resign, switch employers or abandon an application. Those decisions require an assessment of the individual case.

Is Cognizant the only company named?

IANS also reports a Cloudera PERM suspension; it does not establish identical circumstances.

That makes this a story worth following beyond one employer. But it does not justify predicting which company will face action next.

What matters next

The next meaningful development will be documentation explaining how the suspension operates, along with any response from Cognizant. Employees need to know whether existing applications can proceed, what new filings face and when the position may change.

For Indian professionals following the story, the most useful distinction is between the announced action and its still-unclear effect on individual cases. The first is news. The second is what determines a family’s next decision.

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