The Obama administration has finalized new rules to allow some spouses of highly skilled foreign workers holding a specialty visa to also get jobs in the United States,
The Hill reports.
The
Department of Homeland Security rules could apply to as many as 180,000 foreign workers in the first year and 55,000 every subsequent year, The Hill reports. They'll go into effect in May.
The H–1B specialty visas
have gained importance with immigrants – many of them in the tech industry – looking for lucrative work opportunities in the United States, and other than tourist or business visas, they're the most most sought after.
Currently, foreigners with an H-1B visa can bring their husband or wife to the United States, though the spouses can't get a work permit. Under the new rules, if the visa holder is on a path to permanent residence, their spouse, for a $380 fee, could be eligible for a work permit, The Hill reports.
The announcement comes amid a congressional standoff over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which Republicans have tried to use to block President Barack Obama's executive actions shielding millions of immigrants from deportation.
Funding has to be approved by Friday or the DHS will shut down.
The Hill reports tech groups have hailed the rule change – and are keeping up the push for immigration reform.
"We're moving in the right direction, but the tech community still needs immigration reform. Our job is nowhere near done - and every day lost without a permanent legislative solution to fix our broken immigration system is hurting our nation," said Todd Schulte, the president of FWD.us, an advocacy group founded by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.