Indian tech talent
Overnight on Thursday Aug 8 US time, which was Friday Aug 9 morning in Australia, thousands of tech workers in the US woke up to news that could rewrite their plans.¹
The US Labor Department suspended eight major employers from a program called PERM, short for Permanent Labor Certification. The companies are Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini.
PERM is the first step on the road to an American Green Card. A Green Card lets someone live and work in the US permanently. To start the process, an employer advertises the job and reviews American applicants. If no qualified American is available, the employer files a PERM application with the Labor Department. Once the department certifies it, the employer can sponsor the worker for permanent residency.
Most of the people affected are skilled workers on H-1B visas. That is a temporary work visa. To stay for good, they need a Green Card, and their employer has to start that process for them. With these eight companies shut out, that process stops. Workers who were waiting for their employer to begin are stuck. So are those whose applications were already in progress. While their current visas stay valid, this announcement effectively cuts off the path to permanent residency for them.
A large share of those affected are Indian. Indians receive about 70% of H-1B approvals. Nearly one million people from India, counting family members, already wait in the US employment-based green card backlog, according to the National Foundation for American Policy. These are people who have lived in the US for a decade or even longer. They have mortgages, kids in school and a plan built around one outcome – permanent residency in the United States.
This is a hard moment for Indian tech talent in the companies impacted by the recent announcement.
It is also a moment for Australia.
The news is unfolding far away, and the opportunity it presents is much closer to home.
Here is why we should care.
Talent moves quickly. Talent looks for opportunities where it can thrive. I know this from experience. I am a recipient of the National Innovation Visa, previously called the Global Talent Independent visa. On moving to Australia, I spent nearly eight years at one of Australia’s top technology companies, where I built products used by customers around the world and hired top talent along the way. I have seen first-hand what happens when talent meets opportunity. It spurs innovation, creates jobs and adds to the Australian economy.
Building our AI capabilities. Our AI conversation has largely been about data centre build-out and investment in infrastructure. That work counts, but the next step is moving up the value chain. That takes people who have built AI products and carried out research at the frontier. A lot of that work happens in the US. Some of the people who did it now face a longer, harder road to staying there.
Growing Australia’s R&D. The government’s own R&D review, Ambitious Australia found in March that productivity growth has stagnated. Business R&D sits at 0.9% of GDP, against an OECD average near 2%. It’s in our national interest to grow our R&D capabilities and build a stronger knowledge economy. Highly skilled and knowledgeable talent gets us there faster. Indian tech talent
Three actions would help
Showcase Australia as a destination for tech talent. Industry and government should agree on the skill areas we need most. Then tell the story of the innovation, the companies and the opportunities here. Reach out through tech communities, tech companies, our consulates, Austrade and trade bodies. Engage the Indian diaspora in Australia to reach their counterparts in the US. The result: the right people know Australia is open and want a closer look.
Offer a clear pathway. The US just cut off the road to permanent residency to a large number of highly skilled talent. Australia can offer one that is clear and quick. Showcase the National Innovation Visa and prioritise processing, so people get a firm answer in weeks. The 2026-27 allocation for talent and innovation is 3,500 places, down from 5,300. That number needs a rethink. The result: certainty, which is exactly what these workers just lost.
Help them land well. Some of the opportunities are already taking shape. Tech Central is rising around Central Station in Sydney, anchored by a new 39-storey tower due in 2027. The precinct targets 25,000 new innovation jobs. Further afield in Queensland, Silicon Coast is a volunteer-powered group working to make the Sunshine Coast a top place to work, live and build. Initiatives like these give newcomers a community and a way in from day one. The result: a network and real opportunity on arrival, which keeps talent here in Australia.
Our migration debate is loud and muddled right now. Whatever your view on the overall numbers, adding top talent is a net gain for Australia’s economy and society. A startup founder, a researcher or a senior engineer starts companies, creates jobs and pays tax.
The US just closed a door. Australia can open one, and make it easy to find. Indian tech talent
Read more: An ICE-y death for the American Dream?
