US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has said it has received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap.

Spouses of Indian professionals on H-1B visas, mostly women, are the biggest beneficiary of the Obama-era rule that gave employment authorisation cards.

The twin developments on the final day of 2020 encapsulated how Trump has made US immigration policy more restrictive without support from Congress.

Facebook sponsored the visa holders for 'green cards' authorizing them to work permanently.

It also removes an offset that reduced the number of visas for individuals from China.

The H-1B visa, most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations.

US President Donald Trump, in his June proclamation, banned the entry into the US of workers in several key non-immigrant visa categories.

Under these reforms, the H-1B programme will prioritise those workers who are offered the highest wage, ensuring that the highest-skilled applicants are admitted, the White House said.

The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers from countries like India and China in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

The H-1B program allows companies in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in occupations that require the application of highly specialised knowledge