PUBLIC OPINION TO BE SOUGHT ON H4 VISA REVOCATION: US

The Donald Trump administration has assured lawmakers and the American corporate sector that the public would get an opportunity to respond to its proposal of revoking work authorisation to H-4 spouse visas after they raised their concerns over the move, which will impact thousands of Indians.

H-4 visas are issued to the spouses of H-1B foreign workers. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa through which many Indians workers are employed in US companies. H-4 visas are issued only to very close or immediate family members of the H-1B visa holders, such as the employee’s spouse and children less than 21 years of age.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had said the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will come out with a new proposal by January 2019 under which it may remove from its regulations certain H-4 spouses of H-1B non-immigrants as a class of aliens eligible for employment authorisation.

The new rules could impact up to 70,000 H-4 visa holders who have work permits.

Meanwhile, Compete America, a coalition of American employers representing top IT companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft has alleged that the US immigration agency was “acting outside” of its own regulations by holding up a significantly higher number of H-1B visas.

“We have observed three

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