Some H-1B spouses to be allowed to work in the US – #NonImmigrantVisa

A press release issued by America’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week reveals that some spouses of H-1B visa holders may be allowed to work in the country for the first time.

Two_spouses_with_weeding_ringsUnder current laws, while spouses of H-1B visa holders are permitted to join their partners in the States they are not entitled to seek employment.

“There are several proposed rules that will make the United States more attractive to talented foreign entrepreneurs and other high-skill immigrants who will contribute substantially to the US economy, create jobs, and enhance American innovative competitiveness,” said the press release.

“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 is believed that the proposals could pave the way for up to 40,000 spouses of H-1B visa holders to find work each year.

Last week, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revealed that it had already received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year 2015, just five days after the system opened.

US visaA computer-generated process will now randomly select the number of petitions needed to meet the caps of 65,000 visas for the general category and 20,000 under the advanced degree exemption. USCIS will reject and return filing fees for all cap-subject petitions that are not selected, unless found to be a duplicate filing.

Another proposal outlined in the press release is the possible introduction of a system called ‘Entrepreneur Pathways’, which would be “an online resource centre that gives immigrant entrepreneurs an intuitive way to navigate opportunities to start and grow a business in the United States.”