Trump in no mood to spare immigrants; goes after dependent spouses of H-1B visa holders

When it comes to handling immigrants, the Trump administration is leaving no stone unturned, be it those who work illegally, or family of those who have the required visa.

The new department of justice (DOJ) under Trump government has filed a brief in the Washington DC court of appeals, asking for a 60-day freeze before granting employment authorisation to H-4 visa-holders, who are primarily dependent spouses of H-1B visa-holders.

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This category includes thousands of Indian spouses, who had won a hard-fought permission to work in America in February 2015 under the Obama administration. Then, the rule issued through the department of homeland security allowed eligible spouses to work in the US while their H-1B visa-holder spouses awaited their PR and green card.

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Soon after, a group called Save Jobs USA filed a lawsuit, which was ruled out by a district court, alleging that there was no locus standi to sue.

Save Jobs USA then filed its initial brief once Trump took charge, and this time around, was supported by the DOJ.

"There is nothing for the DoJ attorneys to confer with their leadership about given the district court's clear decision stating that this case had no basis for ever being filed," says Aman Kapoor, co-founder and president of Immigration Voice. "Any failure to provide the strongest possible defence of the district court's decision risks establishing a precedent prohibiting H-4 visa-holders from working under the current statutory regime," he added.

(Image source: BellaNaija)