US to disallow work for H-1B spouses

President Donald Trump-led Administration is set to propose revoking a rule that makes spouses of thousands of immigrant workers eligible to work while in the US.

The move is expected to potentially complicate a major driver of technology jobs.

The tech sector is a major employer of H-1B visa holders, a category of visas for highly skilled jobs.

The spouses of H-1B, or high-skilled, visa holders waiting for green cards have been eligible to work in the US on H-4 dependent visas, under a ruling introduced by former president Barack Obama's administration in 2015.

The Department of Homeland Security, in a statement on Thursday, said it intended to do away with that rule.

The department said it was acting "in light of" the "Buy American, Hire American" executive order that Trump signed in April.

The formal process to rescind the rule will still need to be initiated at a later date.