Trump to ban work permits for spouses of H-1B holders
Trump to ban work permits for spouses of H-1B holders
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In a move that may affect thousands of H-1B visa holders and their families in the US, the Donald Trump administration has started the process to ban work permits for spouses of H-1B visa holders

On May 22, the US government issued a notice for the proposed rule-making that will kick in public consultations to ban the H-4 EAD (Employment Authorization Document), a work visa programme launched by the previous Obama administration to leverage skilled spouses of H-1B visa holders and address skill shortage in the technology domain, the report said.

While explaining its reasons for the proposal, the Department of Homeland Security wrote that American citizens would benefit “by having a better chance at obtaining jobs that some of the population of the H-4 workers currently hold”, the ET report mentioned.

Since Donald Trump became President in 2017, the US has tightened immigration rules across the board. The biggest that has affected India is the tightening of the H-1B visa programme for IT services companies in favour of US technology companies.

The US has brought in rules that give preference to candidates with US Master’s degrees for H-1B visas, helping US companies, while increasing the rejections for existing visa holders who seek an extension for another three years. Nearly 70% of the H-1B visas are granted to Indian nationals.

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While most tech firms have increased their local hiring in the US, it has been difficult to find people, given the low unemployment rates coupled with a shortage in the number of people with the kind of skills required. If an employee’s spouse can no longer pursue a career in the US, it would lead to more people turning down US postings, said analysts.

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