Does Cloudera Sponsor H-1B After Its Two-Year PERM Debarment? What Employees and Candidates Should Know
On the public record Cloudera can still file H-1B petitions, but its two-year PERM bar changes the green-card math for anyone near year six. Here is how to read your own position.
Part of our guide to PERM labor certification.
Status as of November 1, 2026. Does Cloudera sponsor H-1B? As far as the public record shows, yes. Nothing announced bars Cloudera from filing H-1B petitions, extensions or transfers. What changed is the green card. In a settlement dated 2026-10-16, Cloudera accepted a two-year PERM debarment (in effect), a $600,000 civil penalty and a $1.4 million back-pay fund, while denying the allegations. PERM is the labor certification behind most employer-sponsored green cards, so the bar matters most if you are close to your six-year H-1B limit without an approved I-140.
- In effect: Cloudera's two-year PERM debarment. The public release prints no start or end date.
- In effect, and separate: DOL's PERM suspension of eight other employers, announced 2026-10-08, still with no written notice, stated basis or end date. Cloudera is not one of the eight.
- Cleared White House review, not published: DOL's "Modernizing the Labor Market Test and Improving Protections for U.S. Workers in the PERM Immigrant Visa Program" proposal (RIN 1205-AC29), concluded at OIRA 2026-10-23. No text is public, and today's PERM rules still apply.
- Proposed: ending the discretionary 60-day grace period for H-1B and other workers (RIN 1615-AD22). Comments close 2026-11-10. It stays a proposal until a final rule is published, so the current grace period of up to 60 days applies.
Does Cloudera sponsor H-1B in 2026?
Yes, on current public information. Cloudera's 2026-10-16 settlement imposes a two-year bar from the PERM green-card program, the Justice Department's release names no H-1B restriction, and Cloudera is not on DOL's H-1B debarment list (effective as of October 1, 2026). It was an active H-1B petitioner before the settlement. The settlement documents control the exact scope, so confirm specifics with an immigration attorney.
What Cloudera's H-1B record shows
The USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub is the public record of decided H-1B petitions. For FY2024, the latest full year we use:
Cloudera, FY2024 H-1B first decisions (USCIS Employer Data Hub)
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| Initial approvals | 15 |
| Initial denials | 0 |
| Continuing approvals | 57 |
| Continuing denials | 1 |
| Total decisions | 73 |
| Approval rate (approvals / all decisions, our arithmetic) | 98.6% |
USCIS's explanation of the Data Hub says "The approval and denial data in the data hub reflects USCIS' first decision," so later appeals and revocations are not counted. The page does not map petition types to the columns, so read them roughly: "initial" is new H-1B employment (a first H-1B after OPT, say), and "continuing" covers people already in H-1B status, such as extensions, amendments and transfers in.
Our reading: 58 of the 73 decisions were continuing petitions, so most of Cloudera's H-1B activity involved people already on H-1B. That is exactly the group a PERM bar touches, because a green-card filing is what carries an H-1B worker past year six. These figures predate the settlement and promise nothing about any role. You can see the same data on Cloudera's H-1B sponsor profile.
What is a PERM debarment, and what did Cloudera agree to?
A PERM debarment bars an employer from the permanent labor certification program for a fixed term. PERM is step one of most EB-2 and EB-3 employer green cards: the employer gets a prevailing wage, tests the US labor market through recruitment under 20 CFR 656.17, files Form ETA-9089 with DOL and, once certified, files Form I-140 with USCIS. No certified PERM means no I-140 in those categories.
The Justice Department's release, No. 26-1166, is direct: "Cloudera will be barred from participating in the PERM program for two years." It also says "The debarment follows DOL's earlier suspension of Cloudera's PERM processing." The terms it lists:
- The allegation: that Cloudera discriminated against qualified US workers "when recruiting and hiring for seven positions under the PERM process."
- Money: a $1.4 million back-pay fund for qualified US workers who tried to apply for those jobs, and $600,000 in civil penalties.
- Compliance: "enhanced monitoring, revised PERM compliance procedures, and reporting requirements."
- H-1B: the release does not mention it.
Cloudera "denied the allegations and maintained that it had complied with the law," according to RN Law Group's summary of the settlement (2026-10-21). The same summary reports two terms the DOJ release does not mention. First, Cloudera must "withdraw outstanding PERM applications that relied on recruitment referencing the nonfunctional email address." Second, "the 24-month period begins on the date of the company's most recent PERM application withdrawal," which would put the end of the bar later than two years from the settlement. Treat both as a law firm's reading until you or your counsel see the agreement itself. If the recruitment side is new to you, our guide to how PERM recruitment tests US applicants explains the process this case was about.
What the debarment touches, and what it does not
The bar sits on the green-card track. The H-1B track runs on a Labor Condition Application (Form ETA-9035) at DOL and Form I-129 at USCIS, a separate program with its own debarment list.
What Cloudera's PERM debarment reaches, as of 2026-11
| Process | Filing | Touched by the debarment? |
|---|---|---|
| New H-1B cap petition after a lottery selection | LCA, then I-129 | Not by the terms announced |
| H-1B extension or amendment for current staff | LCA, then I-129 | Not by the terms announced |
| H-1B transfer into Cloudera | LCA, then I-129 | Not by the terms announced |
| New PERM labor certification | ETA-9089 at DOL | Yes, barred for two years |
| New EB-2 or EB-3 I-140 that needs a new PERM | I-140 at USCIS | Blocked in practice, since no new PERM can be filed |
| I-140 already approved | USCIS | No revocation announced |
| PERM pending or certified when the bar began | DOL | Not addressed in the DOJ release; one law-firm summary reports some must be withdrawn |
| Categories with no PERM step, such as EB-1 and the EB-2 national interest waiver | I-140 at USCIS | Not mentioned; the settlement documents govern |
DOL's H-1B debarred employers list, "effective as of October 1, 2026", names six willful violators, and Cloudera is not among them; our guide to checking the H-1B debarment list before accepting an offer shows how to read it. One thing to watch: USCIS's "Reforming the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program" proposal (RIN 1615-AD00), under White House review since 2026-08-24, lists "greater scrutiny for employers that have violated program requirements" in its agenda abstract. Its text is not public.
How is Cloudera's debarment different from the 8-employer suspension?
They are different tools. Cloudera's bar is a fixed two-year term agreed in a settlement, with money attached. The eight-employer action is an open-ended DOL processing freeze with no published notice. Neither one is an H-1B ban.
Cloudera debarment vs the eight-employer PERM suspension, as of 2026-11-01
| Feature | Cloudera | Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini |
|---|---|---|
| Legal form | Settlement with DOJ and DOL, 2026-10-16 | DOL announcement, 2026-10-08 |
| Length | Two years; exact dates not printed | No end date stated |
| Stated basis | Alleged discrimination against US workers in recruiting for seven PERM jobs | None stated; no written notice published |
| Money | $600,000 penalty and $1.4 million back-pay fund | None announced |
| H-1B effect | None stated in the release | Mayer Brown: it "does not suspend any employer from the H-1B program" |
The Mayer Brown quote comes from its summary of the October announcement. Our explainer on DOL's PERM suspension of the eight employers covers that action in depth, and our Cloudera and Instacart settlement breakdown covers both deals line by line.
What happens to my Cloudera green card?
It depends on how far your case got: an approved I-140 is the strongest position, and a PERM with no approved I-140 is the unclear zone.
Decision table: where you stand at Cloudera, as of 2026-11-01
| Your situation | What the debarment changes | What still works | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approved I-140 (Cloudera or earlier employer) | Nothing announced revokes it | Priority date kept under 8 CFR 204.5(e); three-year H-1B extensions under AC21 s.104(c) while the per-country limit applies, through any H-1B employer | Immigration attorney |
| PERM filed, pending or certified, no approved I-140 | DOJ release is silent; one law-firm summary reports withdrawals of some outstanding PERMs | A PERM filed 365+ days earlier can support one-year s.106(a) extensions until it expires or there is a final denial, revocation or closure | Cloudera's counsel, then your own attorney |
| Nothing filed yet | Cloudera cannot start PERM for at least two years | H-1B up to six years; PERM by a future employer; categories without PERM | Immigration attorney |
| F-1 OPT or STEM OPT with a Cloudera offer | H-1B through a cap registration is not touched by the terms announced; any green card starts later | The FY2028 registration has not been announced | DSO for OPT; attorney for the petition |
The AC21 rules sit in 8 CFR 214.2(h)(13)(iii)(D) and (E). Two clauses deserve a careful look if you hold a PERM but no approved I-140:
- Closure. One-year extensions end with a final decision to, among other things, "Administratively or otherwise close the application for permanent labor certification". Whether a withdrawal counts as that kind of closure for your PERM is a question for counsel (our reading of the text, not agency guidance).
- Expiry. They also end when "the approved permanent labor certification expires", and under 20 CFR 656.30(b) a certified PERM expires if it is not filed with an I-140 "within 180 calendar days" of certification. If yours was certified recently, ask when the I-140 is due and whether the agreement affects it.
A worked timeline: same bar, three different outcomes
Hypothetical people, real rule dates; your own dates need an attorney's calculation. The regulation requires the PERM to be filed "at least 365 days prior to the date the period of admission authorized under this exemption will take effect." We assume the bar ends no earlier than about October 2028, two years after the settlement (our arithmetic; the release prints no dates, and the law-firm reading above would end it later).
| Person | Key dates | What the bar means |
|---|---|---|
| A: H-1B at Cloudera since 2021-10-01, no PERM | Six-year limit 2027-09-30. A one-year s.106(a) extension from 2027-10-01 needed a PERM or I-140 filed by about 2026-10-01 (our arithmetic) | That date has passed with nothing on file, so A's remaining options are attorney questions, such as whether days spent outside the US can be recaptured or whether a category without PERM could fit |
| B: H-1B at Cloudera since 2024-10-01, no PERM | Six-year limit 2030-09-30; for a s.106(a) extension, a PERM filed by about 2029-09-30 (our arithmetic) | Only the filing date counts for s.106(a), so the question is whether a wage determination and recruitment fit between the end of the bar and that date. Certification takes longer: DOL's FLAG processing times showed analyst review averaging 303 days, as of 2026-10-21. Tight but open, and tighter if the bar ends later |
| C: STEM OPT, Cloudera offer, FY2028 cap hopeful | If selected, H-1B from 2027-10-01; limit 2033-09-30 | The clock is not the problem. The cost is a later priority date. For India, the EB-2 Final Action Date was 2013-11-01 in the November 2026 bulletin, unchanged from October |
For Indian nationals, a priority date set two years later sits two years further back in a queue that did not move in November, so C should ask about the green-card plan before signing.
Can a new employer use my Cloudera priority date?
Yes, generally, if your Cloudera I-140 was approved. Under 8 CFR 204.5(e), an approved petition gives you its priority date for a later EB-1, EB-2 or EB-3 petition. A PERM that was only filed or certified gives you nothing to carry.
The regulation lists four ways to lose that date: approval revoked for fraud or willful misrepresentation, DOL revoking the labor certification, USCIS or the State Department invalidating it, or a material error. The DOJ release reports none of these for Cloudera. If your PERM was one of the seven positions at issue, ask counsel about it specifically.
The AC21 extensions also travel. For s.106(a), the regulation says "The H-1B petitioner need not be the employer that filed the application for labor certification or immigrant visa petition." Section 104(c) has the same rule for an approved I-140. A new employer still files its own PERM and I-140; your old date rides along. Our guide to porting a priority date to a new employer's I-140 covers the 180-day withdrawal line, and if you are leaving or laid off, our guide to the grace period and AC21 options with an I-140 pending covers how the up-to-60-day grace period works.
How to check Cloudera's sponsorship record yourself
- Search "Cloudera" in the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub and compare initial with continuing decisions for FY2024.
- Download the latest PERM disclosure file from DOL's OFLC performance data page. It runs through 2026-06-30 (FY2026 Q3), so it predates the settlement. Our guide to checking whether a company sponsors green cards shows how to compare PERM and LCA counts.
- Check DOL's Wage and Hour Division H-1B debarment list for any employer you are weighing.
- Ask the Cloudera recruiter or HR, in writing, whether the role is open to H-1B transfers or cap registrations, what the green-card plan is while the bar runs, and on what date the bar starts and ends under the agreement.
- Book your DSO for OPT or STEM OPT reporting questions, and a licensed immigration attorney of your own for petition and green-card strategy, because the company's counsel represents the company.
Common mistakes
- "Cloudera can't sponsor H-1B." Nothing announced says so. The bar covers PERM, and Cloudera is not on DOL's H-1B debarment list.
- Repeating that Cloudera's PERM freeze simply runs out in November. That framing is out of date. The 2026-10-16 settlement replaced it with a two-year debarment.
- Lumping Cloudera in with the eight suspended employers. Different action, different legal form, different end point.
- Treating a pending PERM as a portable priority date. Only an approved I-140 carries a date under 8 CFR 204.5(e).
- Not asking about a certified PERM's I-140 deadline. A certification not filed with an I-140 within 180 calendar days expires, and the AC21 rule ends one-year extensions when it does.
- Resigning before checking your clocks. The worker grace period of up to 60 days still applies, and the proposal to end it is only a proposal.
Frequently asked questions
Can Cloudera still sponsor H-1B?
As far as the public record shows, yes. The 2026-10-16 settlement bars Cloudera from the PERM green-card program for two years, and neither the Justice Department release nor DOL's H-1B debarment list (effective as of October 1, 2026) names an H-1B bar. The settlement documents govern its exact scope, so confirm your own case with an immigration attorney.
What is a PERM debarment?
It bars an employer from filing PERM labor certifications, the first step of most employer-sponsored green cards, for a fixed period. Cloudera's runs two years under its 2026-10-16 settlement with the Justice and Labor Departments, which also set a $600,000 civil penalty and a $1.4 million back-pay fund. Cloudera denies the allegations, according to a law-firm summary of the settlement.
What happens to my Cloudera green card?
It depends on how far your case got. An approved I-140 keeps its priority date unless it is revoked for specific reasons, and nothing published says Cloudera's were revoked. A PERM that is pending or certified without an approved I-140 is the unclear zone, and a certified PERM expires if no I-140 is filed within 180 days. If nothing was filed, Cloudera cannot start PERM for you until the two-year bar ends. Ask an immigration attorney about your own file.
Can a new employer use my Cloudera priority date?
Generally yes, if your Cloudera I-140 was approved. Under 8 CFR 204.5(e) the priority date carries to a later EB-1, EB-2 or EB-3 petition unless the approval is revoked for fraud or willful misrepresentation, a revoked or invalidated labor certification, or material error. A PERM alone, with no approved I-140, gives you no priority date to carry.
How is the Cloudera debarment different from the 8-employer PERM suspension?
Cloudera's is a two-year PERM debarment agreed in a 2026-10-16 settlement, with a civil penalty and a back-pay fund. The suspension DOL announced on 2026-10-08 covers eight other employers, including Microsoft and Infosys, and as of 2026-11-01 it has no written notice, stated basis or end date. Neither action is an H-1B ban.
Sources
- US Department of Justice, release 26-1166 on the Cloudera settlement and two-year PERM debarment (2026-10-16)
- USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub and its explanation page
- DOL Wage and Hour Division, H-1B debarred employers list
- DOL OFLC performance data and PERM disclosure files
- DOL FLAG processing times
- 8 CFR 214.2, AC21 extension rules at (h)(13)(iii)(D)-(E)
- 8 CFR 204.5, priority-date retention at (e)
- 20 CFR 656.30, expiration of labor certifications at (b)
- OIRA, regulatory actions concluded in the last 30 days (RIN 1205-AC29)
- Unified Agenda entry for RIN 1615-AD00, "Reforming the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program"
- Federal Register, proposal to eliminate the discretionary 60-day grace period (2026-09-11)
- Mayer Brown, DOL enforcement actions in the H-1B and PERM fraud probe (October 2026)
- RN Law Group, Cloudera settlement summary (2026-10-21)
How we checked this: on 2026-11-01 and 2026-11-02 we read the DOJ release, DOL's H-1B debarment list, the USCIS Data Hub explanation page, the text of 8 CFR 214.2(h)(13)(iii), 8 CFR 204.5(e) and 20 CFR 656.30(b), RN Law Group's settlement summary, and FLAG and OIRA pages, and took Cloudera's FY2024 counts from the USCIS Employer Data Hub extract behind our company pages.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own notices, I-94 and attorney (or your DSO for F-1 and OPT matters) govern over anything published here.
If the bar has you rethinking where your green card should start, a wider search can help. F1Jobs works with international candidates looking for employers that sponsor both H-1B and green cards, on a timeline that fits their own clock.
Frequently asked questions
Can Cloudera still sponsor H-1B?
As far as the public record shows, yes. The 2026-10-16 settlement bars Cloudera from the PERM green-card program for two years, and neither the Justice Department release nor DOL's H-1B debarment list (effective as of October 1, 2026) names an H-1B bar. The settlement documents govern its exact scope, so confirm your own case with an immigration attorney.
What is a PERM debarment?
It bars an employer from filing PERM labor certifications, the first step of most employer-sponsored green cards, for a fixed period. Cloudera's runs two years under its 2026-10-16 settlement with the Justice and Labor Departments, which also set a $600,000 civil penalty and a $1.4 million back-pay fund. Cloudera denies the allegations, according to a law-firm summary of the settlement.
What happens to my Cloudera green card?
It depends on how far your case got. An approved I-140 keeps its priority date unless it is revoked for specific reasons, and nothing published says Cloudera's were revoked. A PERM that is pending or certified without an approved I-140 is the unclear zone, and a certified PERM expires if no I-140 is filed within 180 days. If nothing was filed, Cloudera cannot start PERM for you until the two-year bar ends. Ask an immigration attorney about your own file.
Can a new employer use my Cloudera priority date?
Generally yes, if your Cloudera I-140 was approved. Under 8 CFR 204.5(e) the priority date carries to a later EB-1, EB-2 or EB-3 petition unless the approval is revoked for fraud or willful misrepresentation, a revoked or invalidated labor certification, or material error. A PERM alone, with no approved I-140, gives you no priority date to carry.
How is the Cloudera debarment different from the 8-employer PERM suspension?
Cloudera's is a two-year PERM debarment agreed in a 2026-10-16 settlement, with a civil penalty and a back-pay fund. The suspension DOL announced on 2026-10-08 covers eight other employers, including Microsoft and Infosys, and as of 2026-11-01 it has no written notice, stated basis or end date. Neither action is an H-1B ban.