--- description: A new Trump administration effort could prevent the spouses of highly skilled foreign workers from working legally in the U.S. title: The Trump Administration Wants to Block H-1B Visa Spouses From Working in the U.S. image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Immigration](/tag/immigration/) ## Immigration Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Trump Administration Wants to Block H-1B Visa Spouses From Working in the U.S. by [Nash Jenkins](/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 15, 2017 1:02 PM CUT by [Nash Jenkins](/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 15, 2017 1:02 PM CUT A new Trump administration effort could prevent the spouses of highly skilled foreign workers from working legally in the U.S., according to a new statement from the Department of Homeland Security [cited by CNN](http://money.cnn.com/2017/12/15/technology/h1b-visa-spouses-h4-trump/index.html?iid=hp-stack-dom "undefined"). The plan concerns the spouses of those foreign nationals who hold [H-1B visas](https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/h-1b-fiscal-year-fy-2018-cap-season "undefined"), which go to individuals with jobs that require a “theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge.” In February 2015, the Obama administration [decreed](https://www.uscis.gov/news/dhs-extends-eligibility-employment-authorization-certain-h-4-dependent-spouses-h-1b-nonimmigrants-seeking-employment-based-lawful-permanent-residence "undefined") that such spouses could legally find work while in the U.S. in an effort to “reduce the economic burdens and personal stresses” of immigrants. According to CNN, the Department of Homeland Security offered little context for its decision to reverse the Obama-era rule, citing only the new administration’s “America first” emphasis on immigration policy. The Trump administration also plans to reevaluate and likely narrow the eligibility rules for H-1B visas, saying it wants “to increase focus on truly obtaining the best and brightest foreign nationals.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5065860/trump-h1b-visa-obama/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5065860/trump-h1b-visa-obama/"},"headline":"The Trump Administration Wants to Block H-1B Visa Spouses From Working in the U.S.","datePublished":"2017-12-15T13:02:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:35:04.459Z","description":"The Department of Homeland Security announced its rollback of an Obama-era policy on Thursday","url":"https://time.com/5065860/trump-h1b-visa-obama/","keywords":["Immigration","Donald Trump","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nash Jenkins","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/p-nash-jenkins/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/immigration/","name":"Immigration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5065860/trump-h1b-visa-obama/","name":"The Trump Administration Wants to Block H-1B Visa Spouses From Working in the U.S."}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"President Trump Calls for Ending Diversity Visa Lottery Program","description":"President Trump called on Congress to end a green card lottery that may have led to the driver in a New York City attack getting into the country.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ZWqnmJAj/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-11-01T17:41:01.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ZWqnmJAj.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5065860/trump-h1b-visa-obama/","duration":"PT1M42S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5065860/trump-h1b-visa-obama/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```