Google to Expand Green Card Sponsorships, But Not for All

Amidst the uncertainty over H-1B visas for immigrants and the hike in the fee, Google has announced readiness to resume and expand its green card sponsorship programme for its employees from 2026. However, it laid out some eligibility rules for the selection of the employees.

According to a report in Business Insider, the company would restart sponsoring applications under the US Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) programme, the first formal step for foreign workers to shift from work visa to permanent residency in the US, from next year. Google said the eligible employees would be contacted by its external legal counsel in the first quarter of 2026.

Regarding the eligibility criteria, Google said that employees must be working in roles that requires degree and prior work experience. To be PERM  eligible, Googlers working remotely should agree to shifting to working from Google office. 

Further, employees at Level 3 or below might not be eligible for the sponsorship. They should have a MI rating or higher to be eligible for the PERM sponsorship. MI refers to the “moderate impact” in Google annual performance reviews. 

PERM is used by tech companies to secure permanent residency for their employees working in H-1B visas. For this, they need to show the government authorities that there is no US worker available for the role.

PERM sponsorship was put on hold in 2023 by Google and other companies when the tech giants announced large-scale layoffs.