US Bill seeks work rights for H-4 visa-holders

Washington, April 8

Two US lawmakers have introduced a Bill in the House of Representatives that aims at granting an automatic right to H-4 visa-holders to work in the country, a move which will benefit the spouses of thousands of foreigners, including Indians, and also address the labour shortage affecting American businesses.

The H-4 visas are issued to dependent spouses and children who accompany H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, and H-3 visa-holders to the US.

Technology companies depend on H-1B visa to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

Introduced by Congresswomen Carolyn Bourdeaux and Maria Elvira Salazar on Thursday, the H-4 Work Authorisation Act seeks to change the current law and grant the spouses of H-1B visa-holders an automatic right to work after receiving their H-4 visa.

This would remove the requirement for visa-holders to apply for a Form I-765, an Employment Authorisation Document (EAD), they said.

The two lawmakers said the proposed legislation was aimed at addressing the labour shortage in the country affecting American businesses and helping immigrant families thrive together. —