H-1B Visa Holders’ Spouses Granted Work Authorization in US: A Major Benefit for Indian Tech Professionals

The H-1B visa programme allows skilled foreign workers to work for American companies in the US. The US has issued almost 100,000 work authorisations to spouses of H-1B workers, with a significant number being Indian. In a recent ruling, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan dismissed a lawsuit filed by Save Jobs USA that aimed to dismiss the Obama-era regulation that gave employment authorisation cards to spouses of certain categories of H-1B visa holders. The judge wrote that Congress has given the US Government authority to authorise employment as a permissible condition of an H-4 spouse’s stay in the United States. The decision will provide much-needed relief to families who have been struggling to make ends meet and help ensure that these families can stay together and thrive. Save Jobs USA plans to appeal against the court ruling.