Spouses of H-1B visa holders with technical skills may be allowed to work in the United States under a new initiative by the Obama administration to attract the best and brightest from across the world.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will soon publish several proposed rules that will make the U.S. more attractive for talented foreign entrepreneurs and other high-skill immigrants who will contribute substantially to the U.S. economy, create jobs, and enhance American innovative competitiveness, the White House said in a statement.
“These proposed regulations include rules authorising employment for spouses of certain high-skill workers on H-1B visas, as well as enhancing opportunities for outstanding professors and researchers,” it said on Monday.
“These measures build on continuing DHS efforts to streamline, eliminate inefficiency, and increase the transparency of the existing immigration system, such as by the launch of Entrepreneur Pathways, an online resource centre that gives immigrant entrepreneurs an intuitive way to navigate opportunities to start and grow a business,” it said.
From the statement, it appears that spouses of H-1B visas are unlikely to get a blanket approval to work in the U.S. Only certain categories of spouses of such visa holders, mainly from the science and tech category, are likely to get the nod.
