US Plans To Strip H-1B Spouses Of Their Jobs. Indians To Be Hit Hardest
The US government is considering a proposal to revoke work authorization for H-4 visa holders, who are spouses of H-1B visa recipients. The move would disproportionately affect Indian professionals, the majority of whom are women.
Why it matters
This policy change could significantly impact the lives of thousands of immigrant families and alter the landscape for skilled foreign labor in the United States.
A new US government proposal could strip thousands of H-4 visa holders of their right to work legally in America, reversing a policy that has been in place for more than a decade.The Trump administration wants to end work permits for spouses of H-1B visa holders. If it goes through, it would reverse a rule that has let eligible H-4 visa holders work legally in the US for more than ten years. Indian professionals are likely to be hit hardest, as many H-4 permit holders are Indian.Data on H-4 Employment Authorisation Document (EAD) applications from 2014 to 2017 show that 93 per cent of approvals went to Indian nationals, and 94 per cent of those were women.The plan, listed on Reginfo.gov under the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, is titled "Removing H-4 Dependent Spouses From the Classes of Noncitizens Eligible for Employment Authorisation."
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