The Donald Trump administration is reportedly moving ahead with the proposal to end work permits for spouses of H-1B workers in the United States, said the Trump administration to a federal court. It also said that decision regarding the same would be given within three months. Those dependent on H-1B visa holders get H-4 visas. A recent study said that over 90 per cent of documents issued for visa beneficiaries since 2015 went to Indians.

A report in The Hindu said that under a 2015 executive order, spouses of H-1B visa holders, and whose green card applications have reached a certain stage can obtain employment authoritisation.

The Trump administration has been planning to end allowing spouses of H1-B visa holders to work legally in the US. The move could have a devastating impact on tens of thousands of Indians, especially those employed in the IT sector.

The move to end the Obama-era rule could have an impact on more than 70,000 H-4 visas holders, who have work permits.

H-4 is issued to the spouse of H-1B visa holders, a significantly large number of whom are high-skilled professionals from India. A special order issued by the previous Obama administration enabled them to obtain work permits.

Indian-Americans were a major beneficiary of this provision. More than 100,000 H-4 visa holders have been beneficiary of this rule.

A 2015 rule issued by the Obama administration allows work permits for spouses who otherwise could not be employed while H-1B visa holders seek permanent resident status -- a process that can take a decade or longer. Donald Trump Admin Plans to End Work Permits for H-1B Visa Spouses.

The Trump administration is planning to terminate this provision. A former communication is expected to be made later this summer, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Francis Cissna said in a letter to Senator Chuck Grassley.

Of those H-4 spouses with work authorisation as of early 2017, a total of 94 per cent were women, and the vast majority, 93 per cent, were from India, while four per cent were from China, the study said. (With Agency Inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 23, 2018 09:27 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).