US Change Working Visa Policy

We here at CairoScene are somewhat in a pickle. We have some good news for people trying to escape Egypt, but at the same time are afraid that this same news will start a mass exodus of Egypt's brightest minds to the United States. On Tuesday, the US announced that they will soon start issuing work visas to spouses of some foreign workers. The policy change is an attempt by the government to retain highly skilled individuals who come to States, but end up leaving because their spouses aren't issued the same H-1B visa, that allows immigrants limited-term working visas.

Currently, spouses can only be issued a “dependent” H-4 visa which allows spouses to live in the US without the ability to work. “The fact is, we must do more to retain and attract world-class talent to the United States and these regulations put us on a path to doing that,” said US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.

For over a year, the U.S administrations has been working hard to pass ambitious legislation that would grant sweeping reforms and raise the total number of visas available for foreign workers. However, just like all much needed changes, the legislation is still stuck in Congress with no end in sight.

This is great news for Silicon Valley who have been pressuring the administration for years for changes in immigration laws, and seem to have finally gotten their wish. As for Egypt, this is the bad news, as the last thing Egypt needs is a mass migration of it's sharpest professional.