'Build here. Scale here. Die here' - Pan IIT Alumni India Chairman on US PERM, H1-B news from Trump Admin

What did Pan IIT Alumni India mean by urging Indian engineers to “build here, scale here, die here”?

“Build here. Scale here. Die here” was a forceful appeal for Indian engineers to direct their talent toward India. Pan IIT Alumni India argued that a visa is not a stable foundation for a career. The message came as uncertainty grew around US immigration policies affecting Indian professionals on H-1B visas and employer-sponsored green cards.

Chairman Prabhat Kumar said India now offers exciting problems and opportunities for Indian talent. He contrasted this with decades of celebrating when the country’s brightest minds moved to the United States. The organisation’s broader point was that engineers should create products, companies, research, and jobs in India, rather than depending on uncertain foreign immigration pathways.

The statement did not call for unfair treatment of Indian professionals abroad. It demanded fair and transparent US policies while urging a stronger national focus on talent at home. Its slogan therefore combined criticism of visa uncertainty with a call to build India’s technological future domestically.

What are H-1B visas and PERM labour certification, and how are they connected to employer-sponsored green cards?

An H-1B visa allows a foreign professional to work temporarily in a specialised occupation for a sponsoring employer. PERM, or Permanent Labor Certification, is a separate labour-certification process employers generally use when sponsoring eligible workers for employment-based green cards. The two systems can therefore form different stages of a longer employment pathway.

A worker may enter or work in the United States on an H-1B visa while an employer pursues permanent residency sponsorship. The employer’s PERM application is part of that green-card process. It does not itself grant an H-1B visa, and an H-1B does not automatically become permanent residency.

The distinction mattered in this dispute because PERM processing was suspended for eight technology companies. That created uncertainty for workers seeking employer-sponsored green cards, but the article states that the suspension did not automatically cancel existing H-1B visas.

How many major technology companies were affected by the PERM suspension, and which companies were named?

The article states that the Trump administration suspended PERM processing for eight IT majors. However, it names seven companies: Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Microsoft, Adobe, Capgemini, and Cognizant. The article does not identify an eighth company by name.

These firms were described as major technology companies affected by restrictions on the Permanent Labor Certification programme. PERM is generally used when employers sponsor eligible foreign workers for employment-based green cards. This made the decision especially significant for Indian technology professionals working in the United States on H-1B visas.

The suspension was expected to affect workers relying on employer sponsorship for permanent residency. It halted new and pending PERM applications at affected firms, according to the article. The resulting uncertainty concerned the green-card process, while existing H-1B visas were not automatically cancelled.

What happens to Indian professionals when their employer’s PERM application is suspended, and does the suspension automatically cancel their H-1B visa?

When an employer’s PERM application is suspended, new and pending labour-certification applications at the affected firm are halted. That interrupts or delays a worker’s pursuit of an employer-sponsored employment-based green card. For Indian professionals, the pause can create uncertainty about their longer-term ability to secure permanent residency through their employer.

The key mechanism is that PERM is a labour-certification step, not the H-1B visa itself. An employee may already be working in the United States under an H-1B while the employer seeks certification for a later green-card application. Suspending PERM therefore affects the permanent-residency pathway rather than automatically voiding the worker’s temporary status.

The article specifically says existing H-1B visas are not automatically cancelled. However, workers at the affected companies still face uncertainty because new and pending PERM applications are halted while the administration’s investigations and policy decisions continue.

Why did the Trump administration say it was suspending PERM processing for the affected companies?

The Trump administration said it was suspending PERM processing to reduce the number of foreign workers in the United States and create job opportunities for Americans. It accused the affected companies of misusing the labour-certification system to replace American workers with foreign employees.

PERM is important because it is generally used when employers sponsor eligible workers for employment-based green cards. By suspending new and pending applications, the administration targeted a key step in the permanent-residency pathway for foreign professionals. The companies named included major technology firms such as Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, and Cognizant.

The article also said the suspensions were connected to ongoing federal investigations. It did not provide further details about those investigations or establish whether the accusations had been proven. The immediate effect described was greater uncertainty for Indian technology workers relying on employer-sponsored green cards.

Why do many Indian technology workers depend on employer sponsorship rather than receiving permanent US residency automatically?

Many Indian technology workers depend on employer sponsorship because the immigration routes described in the article are tied to a sponsoring company. H-1B is a temporary, employer-sponsored visa for specialised occupations. PERM is generally used by an employer when sponsoring an eligible worker for an employment-based green card. Neither status gives permanent residency automatically.

The usual connection is practical: an employer supports the worker’s long-term green-card application after employing the person under H-1B status. The PERM labour-certification step is therefore important to workers seeking to move from temporary employment toward permanent residency. If that step is suspended, the employer-sponsored pathway becomes uncertain.

The article highlights this dependence through the suspension affecting eight IT majors. It says the move is likely to affect Indian techies who rely on employer-sponsored green cards after entering the United States on H-1B visas. It does not describe another automatic residency route.

How have Indian engineers and technology workers contributed to US innovation, companies, patents, and jobs over the past five decades?

Pan IIT Alumni India said Indian engineers and technologists have made major contributions to the United States for more than five decades. It described them as among the most productive contributors to American innovation, research, and industry. Many of these professionals were IIT alumni, linking the community’s history to the organisations representing India’s 23 IITs.

Their contributions took several forms. The statement said Indian professionals built products, filed patents, founded companies, and created jobs on American soil. It also said Indian engineers and technologists contributed significantly to US innovation and industry, rather than simply filling employment positions.

This history shaped the organisation’s objection to describing Indian professionals collectively as “indentured servants.” Pan IIT Alumni India called that characterisation inaccurate and unfair. At the same time, it urged Indian engineers to return or build at home, arguing that India now offers major opportunities amid uncertainty over US immigration policies.

Key Facts:

📌 Pan IIT Alumni India said visas are not stable career foundations.

📌 Prabhat Kumar urged engineers to build and create impact in India.

📌 The organisation linked its appeal to US immigration uncertainty.

📌 H-1B is a temporary, employer-sponsored visa for specialised occupations.

📌 PERM is generally used in employer-sponsored green-card cases.

📌 PERM suspension does not automatically cancel existing H-1B visas.

📌 The suspension affected eight IT majors, according to the article.