Trump to take final call on work permit policy for H1B spouses

Washington, February 22 

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The White House has formally received the proposed changes in the existing regulations to end the work authorisation for spouses of the holders of H-1B visas, the most sought-after among Indian IT professionals.

The move that would impact over 90,000 spouses of H-1B visa holders, an overwhelming number of whom are Indians, was sent by the Department of Homeland Security to the White House Office of management for Budget on Wednesday, officials said.

It’s now for the White House to take a final call on it, before a formal regulation could be issued and the Department of Homeland Security can inform a federal court, where a lawsuit on this issue is pending.

Now, the White House would carry out its review of the proposed regulations, take inputs from various agencies, before taking a final call. The process could take from a few weeks to several months.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said the proposed regulation was not final. As per the existing process, once the White House gives its nod, the regulations would be published in federal register with a 30-day comment period. It is only after that the new changes can come into effect.  — PTI