The Obama administration, looking to make adjustments to the nation’s immigration system while broader legislation is stalled in Congress, announced plans on Tuesday to allow the spouses of some highly skilled temporary immigrants to work in the United States.

The proposed rule changes were announced with fanfare by Alejandro Mayorkas, the deputy secretary of homeland security, and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, who said they would help the country attract and retain immigrants with skills in technology and science, and “unleash more of the extraordinary contributions that immigrants have always made to America’s innovation economy.”

The proposals address visa rules that have long caused difficulties for the spouses of skilled immigrants, mainly from China, India and the Philippines, who are working here on temporary visas known as H-1B. The spouses, mainly wives, often have skills and education, too, but are not authorized to work in the United States, causing their careers to languish.

High-tech employers welcomed the plans. Fred Humphries, a vice president at Microsoft, one of the biggest users of H-1B visas, said they would have “a positive economic impact.”