Any decision made about H-4 US visa cannot be final until after the process of rulemaking has been completed, according to a top US official. The comment came days after 130 lawmakers urged President Donald Trump to continue giving work authorization to some dependent spouses of H-1B US visa-holding non-immigrant workers.
The Trump administration intends to revoke a rule enabling spouses of immigrant workers to work while in the US, a move that could be devastating to tens of thousands of Indian workers. H-4 US visas are given to the spouses of those granted H-1B US visas, many of whom are high-skilled Indian professionals.
Work permits had been obtained thanks to a special order given during the President Barack Obama administration. The attempt to end that rule could affect over 70,000 holders of H-4 US visas. But, US Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman, Philip Smith, told PTI that no decision on H-4 US visas would be final until after the completion of the rulemaking process.
Smith added that several regulatory and policy changes are being considered by the agency to carry out the executive order ‘Buy American, Hire American’ signed by the President, which includes a thorough review of all US visa programs based around employment. US Citizenship and Immigration Services is committed to safeguarding the US immigration system’s integrity and reforming such programs to ensure that they protect and benefit American workers as much as possible, Smith added.