White House Extends 100,000 Work Permits for H-1B Wives from India

The Department of Homeland Security has again delayed a plan to cancel 100,000 work permits which were printed for the Indian spouses of H-1B visa workers by President Barack Obama.

The announcement, by choice or not, is a political gift to the growing Indian diaspora in the United States, and it comes just a few days before President Trump attends an Indian political rally for the Indian Prime Minister in Houston, on September 22.

“At this point, DHS has informed counsel that it believes the earliest possible publication date for that [H4EAD cancellation] rule would be in spring 2020,” said a September 16 letter to a judge who is overseeing a lawsuit against the program. “Although that time frame is aspirational,” the letter added.

The rule was drafted at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency to help implement President Donald Trump’s “Hire American” Inauguration Day promise. But it has been held up by reviewers at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget amid business groups lobbying to keep the visas.

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