The Trump administration issued new rules for H1-B visa holders Thursday, specifically repealing an Obama-era rule that allowed the spouses of H1-B visa holders to work in the United States.
The rule specifically allowed H-4 visa holders whose spouses were waiting for Green Card approval to get jobs in the United States. Quartz reports that the majority of H-4 visa holders are Indian women. 80% of the 125,000 H-4 visas issued in 2015 were to Indians, and 90% of all of the H-4 visas issued were to women.
The administration didn’t offer many details on the decision beyond that it was part of Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” policy.
In the future, Trump says he may make more changes to the visa program including revising the definition of which professions will ultimately be eligible for the program.
