Dive Brief:

• A group of members of California's Congressional delegation urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) not to revoke employment authorization eligibility for some spouses of H-1B visa holders, San Francisco Chronicle reports.
• In its Fall 2017 Regulatory Agenda, DHS included a proposal "to remove from its regulations certain H-4 spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants as a class of aliens eligible for employment authorization." The department has since announced that it will propose a rule on the issue in June and that a public notice and comment period will follow, the Chronicle said.
• In a letter to DHS, 15 California lawmakers wrote that rescinding H-4 visas could prevent highly skilled, in-demand H-1B visa holders from coming to the U.S., and that living and working in Silicon Valley requires two income earners. DHS has yet to respond to the letter, a spokesperson from the office of Rep. Anna Eshoo (D), one of the letter's signees, told the Chronicle.

Dive Insight:

The Obama administration implemented the H-4 visa program in 2015 to attract H-1B visa holders. The Trump administration's proposed policy reversal here is the latest in a series of steps taken to roll back pro-immigration policy generally. Earlier this month, DHS announced it would also be delaying H-1B visa fast-track processing, which could mean employers will have to wait longer to determine when they'll have a position filled.

Attempts to stymie work visas, while a fulfillment of administration promises to act fast on immigration and improve the lot of U.S. workers, won't make the rising demand for foreign talent among the nation's employers disappear overnight.