- Amazon has restarted the green card application process for foreign workers.
- Amazon halted PERM enrollments in 2023-2024 due to “labor market conditions.”
- The change could signal an improving labor market, analysts say.
Amazon has restarted the green card application process for foreign workers, a sign of an improving labor market.
In an internal memo from late 2024 obtained by Business Insider, Amazon told employees it planned to reopen PERM processing on January 6, 2025. Amazon had suspended all new PERM filings in 2023 and throughout 2024, it reported formerly BI.
The PERM is part of the US Department of Labor’s permanent labor certification process and is usually the first step toward obtaining a green card for a foreign worker. The purpose is to prove that the employment of foreign workers will not affect the opportunities, wages, or working conditions of US job seekers.
The note does not explain why Amazon is restarting the PERM process. But the change potentially reflects Amazon’s outlook for a more competitive job market. It also follows Trump’s campaign promise to give green cards to every foreign graduate of American colleges.
“We evaluate our PERM program based on market analysis and have been planning to relaunch it for the past 9 months,” an Amazon spokesperson said in an email to BI.
‘Returning’ from layoffs
Amazon has made major job cuts since the end of 2022, laying off at least 27,000 employees. Just last week, Amazon let go about 200 people from its fashion and fitness group, BI reported.
The resume of PERM filings shows that Amazon sees a potential “rebound” in the labor market, according to Richard Herman, a Cleveland-based immigration attorney and founder of the Herman Legal Group.
Herman said some companies previously suspended green card registrations due to multiple layoffs and the high cost and time of PERM processing with the Labor Department.
With PERM, companies must demonstrate that the laid-off employees are not qualified for the jobs intended for foreign workers, while also notifying US workers laid off within the past 6 months of the anticipated PERM filing. This costs a lot of money and time.
“If employers are rethinking getting back into the PERM game, it’s because their cost/benefit analysis suggests that labor market changes favor a more competitive market in some occupations, justifying the costs/time invested in PERM,” Herman said.
Tech companies are still laying off employees and applying stricter performance reviews. But the employment trend may improve.
HR software maker Karat said in a 2024 report that average hiring targets for software engineering roles among US tech companies rose 12% year over year. Stripe laid off 300 employees earlier this week, but said it plans to increase its total headcount by about 1,000 this year, BI previously reported.
“Tech in the Bay Area is definitely hiring more and so they have a positive view of what’s ahead,” Bill Hing, a professor of immigration law at the University of San Francisco, told BI.
The Trump effect
President Donald Trump may be another factor.
During his presidential campaign, Trump mentioned that he would like to give green cards to every foreign graduate of American colleges as part of a plan to attract more skilled immigrants.
This has led to a clash between pro-Trump tech leaders led by Elon Musk and the strong base MAGA over legal immigration of skilled workers.
While it’s possible Trump will commit to his proposal, he hasn’t publicly addressed it since, and some believe he may change his mind. The Trump campaign, in fact, clarified last year that his proposal would only apply to “more thoroughly” vetted foreign students.
Jennifer Gordon, a professor of labor and immigration law at Fordham University, told BI that companies can try to anticipate Trump’s unpredictable behavior in advance.
Given Trump’s past tough stance against immigration, Gordon said it’s possible the new administration could issue a policy barring skilled worker immigration applications in the future.
“If I were a technology company, I wouldn’t have full confidence that he would follow through,” Gordon said.
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