Trump administration to end program providing work permits to spouses of certain immigrants

U.S. Customs and Immigration Services completed a proposal to end work visas for spouses of temporary specialized foreign workers, Bloomberg Law reported Thursday. 

The reported proposal would eliminate H-4 work permits for spouses of people holding H-1B visas and waiting for green cards to become available. 

About 90,000 people, many of them Indian women, hold H-4 permits. {mosads}

The proposal was reportedly sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday. 

USCIS declined to comment on the proposal. 

“USCIS continues reviewing all employment-based visa programs,” USCIS spokesperson Jessica Collins said in a statement. “No decision about the regulation concerning the employment eligibility of certain H-4 spouses is final until the rulemaking process is complete.”

The Office of Management and Budget did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment. 

President Trump and other Republicans have long advocated for restricting this type of immigration. In April, Trump passed a “Buy American, Hire American” executive order that would make it harder to get a H-1B visa.

Proponents of work permits say they help stimulate the economy by encouraging skilled laborers to come to the U.S. but opponents say they create competition with American workers for jobs.