Work ban on H4 Visa holders in the US will not happen this year

Former US President Barack Obama issued a rule in 2015. The rule allowed certain H4 Visa holders (dependent family members of H1B Visa holders) to work in the US. Otherwise, H4 Visa holders do not have work rights in the US. Bringing temporary relief to Indians in the US, the US has decided not to implement the proposed work ban on H4 Visa holders this year. The US Dept. of Justice said that work permits of H4 Visa holders may be revoked from spring next year.

 

The Trump Govt. could implement the work ban on H4 Visa holders between March and June 2020.

 

The H1B Visa of the US is a non-immigrant visa that lets employers in the US hire high-skilled foreign workers. Dependent spouse and children of H1B Visa holders are given the H4 Visa. Normally, H4 Visa holders are not allowed to work in the US.

 

However, effective from 25^th February 2015, as per a rule issued by Obama, H4 Visa holders whose spouses were in the process of getting a Green Card was given work rights. They were eligible for the Employment Authorisation Document (EAD).

 

As per recent reports, Indian female engineers were the largest beneficiaries of the H4 EAD Program. They had received nearly 90% of the 120,000 EADs issued since 2015, as per Business Today.

 

The Trump Govt. called for the suspension of H4 work rights in September 2017. This was in alignment with Trump’s executive order of “Buy American Hire American”. The work ban on H4 Visa holders has been postponed several times in the last couple of years. Apart from this, the US Govt. also made changes to the H1B visa rules. As per the new reforms, candidates with advanced degrees from US Universities will be prioritized for the H1B Visa.
 

As per recent data, 125,528 Indians received the H1B Visa in 2018. In 2017, 129,097 Indians were issued H1B Visas in the US.
 

Y-Axis offers a wide range of Visa and Immigration products as well as services for aspiring overseas students including Work Visa for the USA, Study Visa for the USA, and Business Visa for the USA. If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to the USA, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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