India, Oct. 15 -- The Donald Trump administration has rolled out two new immigration measures in recent days that could hit the ability of thousands of foreign professionals to work in the US.

The two developments emerged almost simultaneously. The government has finalised a rule that could cause some immigrants, including spouses of H-1B visa holders, to temporarily lose the right to work. Many foreign nationals need a work permit, known as an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), to work in the US.

Under the earlier policy, people who applied to renew their work permit before it expired could keep working for up to 540 days while US immigration authorities processed the application. The Trump administration has now said that foreig...