India calls JD Vance’s ‘foreign workers’ remark deeply offensive

India’s foreign ministry responded to the U.S. vice president’s comments on H-1B workers. A separate action involving PERM applications does not itself change the status of existing visas.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs called JD Vance’s phrase “foreign indentured servants” deeply offensive. The ministry said Indian professionals are highly educated, contribute significantly to the U.S. economy and support close ties between the two countries.

The response followed Vance’s remarks amid a U.S. decision to suspend processing of PERM labor-certification applications associated with a number of named companies. PERM is relevant to some permanent employment and green-card cases. It is separate from the H-1B visa, which allows U.S. employers to hire foreign professionals for certain jobs.

The processing suspension does not revoke H-1B visas that have already been issued and does not, by itself, change their holders’ existing immigration status. The categories should not be conflated: PERM is one step in certain employment-based immigration processes, while H-1B is a temporary work visa.

Vance previously accused Microsoft of replacing some U.S. workers affected by layoffs with H-1B employees. Microsoft announced about 6,000 job cuts in May 2025. India’s foreign ministry said the movement of skilled professionals benefits both countries.