Amazon, Google Suspend Green Card Applications Amid Mass Layoffs in IT Departments

By Madz Dizon

May 04, 2024 06:34 AM EDT

Amazon, Google Suspend Green Card Applications Amid Mass Layoffs in IT Departments — A new American citizen hlds an envelope with her U.S. citizenship certificate following a naturalization ceremony on August 10, 2023 in Utqiagvik, Alaska. Located along the Arctic Ocean, Utqiagvik is the northernmost settlement in the United States.
(Photo : John Moore/Getty Images)

Both Google and Amazon have temporarily halted green card applications for immigrants in the United States for the year 2024.

This decision comes in response to recent layoffs in the tech industry, which have also affected Microsoft.

Amazon, Google Halt Green Card Application for Immigrants

According to First Post, the pause in the green card application process may exacerbate the difficulties faced by international candidates who are looking for employment in the United States, particularly in the technology sector.

Amazon as well as Google have temporarily halted PERM applications until next year. PERM is a procedure administered by the US Department of Labor that aims to secure permanent labor certification.

The main goal is to protect job opportunities, wages, and working conditions for workers in the United States while also allowing foreign workers to enter. Typically, PERM is the first step in the process of obtaining a green card.

Amazon, Google Freeze PERM Filings Until 2024-2025

Earlier this year, Amazon announced internally that it will postpone all PERM filings until 2024 due to operational restrictions.

Google also halted its PERM applications in January 2023, which happened at the same time as the unfortunate layoff of 12,000 employees.

According to Economic Times, staff members were notified that the PERM process would not be resumed until the beginning of 2025.

Ava Benach, founding partner of Benach Collopy, a renowned immigration law firm in Washington DC, noted that tech companies are adopting Google's strategy because of its substantial impact in the industry.

According to Collopy, the current availability of US workers for open positions renders the labor market test ineffective, making the process a futile expenditure of time and money for tech companies. Collopy provided an explanation.