Rescinding of work visa of spouses of H-1B holders in last stage: US

The recent Congressional report states, 93% of the total H-4 visa holders in the US have work authorization, are from India. Back then the previous Obama administration under an executive order in 2015 had started giving work authorization permits to certain categories of H-4 visa holders.

H-4 visas are issued to the spouses of H-1B visa holders, a significantly large number of whom are high-skilled professionals from India. The Trump administration is planning to end the Obama-era rule allowing spouses of H1-B visa holders to work legally in the US, a move that could have a devastating impact on more than 70,000 H-4 visa holders who have work permits.

The proposed rule is currently in final clearance, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told a federal court in a status update. The Trump administration yesterday told the court that once the proposal is cleared through the DHS, it will be sent to the Office of Management and Budget for review under Executive Order for regulatory and planning review.

Though, a bipartisan group of 130 US lawmakers led by influential Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal persuaded the Trump administration to continue granting work authorization to certain dependent spouses of non-immigrant workers holding H-1B visas. The final notification to rescind the work authorization is expected to be issued in June.

Picture credits: Virat Post