In a court filing on August 20, 2018, the Administration affirmed that it still intends to revoke a rule allowing spouses of H-1B visa holders who have been found eligible to immigrate but are on the wait list for residency, to get work permits.
As explained in this prior post, if these spouses cannot work during the many years it can take to immigrate, their talent and contributions to the U.S. economy will be sidelined, in some cases for decades . The tens of thousands of H-4 spouses who currently have work permits under the existing law will need to leave their jobs, to their employers’ detriment. And as one H-4 visa holder currently with work permission eloquently explained, eliminating H-4 spouses’ ability to work may cause the entire family to choose to emigrate from the U.S. to live in a different country where both spouses have the opportunity to work.
Once published, there will be a required notice and comment period when the public can register opposition to this rule change. Maine businesses that would like more information or assistance in submitting comments should contact MeBIC.