Immigration: U.S. plans to tighten employment-based green card sponsorship rules

On September 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor sent the White House a proposal to modernize the PERM immigrant visa program, the first step employers must complete before sponsoring a foreign worker for a green card. Under current rules, employers must show that no qualified U.S. worker is available and that the foreign employee will be paid the prevailing wage. The proposal would raise recruitment standards, take recent layoffs into account, and strengthen hiring nondiscrimination requirements. Its details will remain unknown until publication in the Federal Register; the move follows PERM suspensions affecting several tech companies, including Cognizant.