Biden scraps Trump rule barring techies’ wives from work

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US President Joe Biden has scrapped a Trump-era rule that cancelled work authorisation for H4 visa holders most of whom are wives of Indian IT professionals with H-1B work visas.</p>
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An H-4 visa is issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to immediate family members (spouse and children under 21 years of age) of the H-1B visa holders.</p>
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The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies use these visas to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.</p>
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The H4 visa is normally issued to those who have already started the process of seeking employment-based lawful permanent resident status in the US.</p>
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The Office of Management and Budget and Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on Monday said the proposed rule titled, "Removing H-4 Dependent Spouses from the Class of Aliens Eligible for Employment Authorisation," was being withdrawn.</p>
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Soon after coming to power, the Trump administration in 2017 announced that it would rescind that rule. However, the Republican Party-led Trump administration was not able to complete the process in the four years of its rule. During the presidential election, the Biden campaign had promised to withdraw the Trump administration's move.</p>
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Soon after his electoral victory, a group of 60 members of the US House of Representatives in a letter urged Biden to "unilaterally extend" the expiration work authorisation documents for holders of H4 visas.</p>