Spouses of Guest Workers Now Eligible for Work Permits Under Obama Actions

The Department of Homeland Security is now accepting employment authorization applications for certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B visa holders.

In February, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director León Rodríguez announced that, come May, the Obama administration would be extending employment authorization eligibility to a category of immigrant previously ineligible to work in the U.S.–dependent spouses of H-1B immigrants.

DHS began accepting applications under the new H-4 employment rule–which was part of the executive actions on immigration President Obama put in motion on November 20–Tuesday.

When the Obama administration announced the expansion in February, it anticipated that the number of individuals eligible to apply for work permits under the rule could be 179,600 in the first year and 55,000 for each subsequent year.

Last month, a group of former Southern California Edison employees–displaced by H-1B visa holders–sued the administration over the new H-4 rule, arguing that it negatively impacts their job prospects.

{snip}