A screenshot of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.
The U.S. on Tuesday announced that it will provide work permits to spouses of H1B visa holders beginning May 26, 2015, a move that is expected to benefit thousands of talented and professional Indian spouses who come to America but are unable to work.
Under existing laws, spouses of H1B visa holders, many of whom are Indians, are not eligible to work.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting applications for work visas from H1B spouses on May 26.
Once USCIS approves the
Form I-765 and the H4 dependent spouse receives an Employment Authorisation Card, he or she may begin working in the United States.
USCIS estimates the number of individuals eligible to apply for employment authorisation under this rule could be as high as 179,600 in the first year and 55,000 annually in subsequent years. The move has been welcomed by Indian-Americans.
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) in a statement applauded the U.S. government for announcing that it will extend work authorisation, effective May 26, 2015, to some H4 dependent spouses of H1B visa holders who are seeking employment-based lawful permanent resident (LPR) status.
The USCIS, in a statement, said the Department of Homeland Security is extending the eligibility for employment authorisation (EAD) to certain H4 dependent spouses of H1B non-immigrants who are seeking employment based Permanent Residency.
Eligible individuals include certain H4 dependent spouses of H1B non-immigrants (principal H1B worker) who are the beneficiaries of an approved Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, or satisfy at least one or more of the three conditions.
The conditions include that the principal H1B worker has an approved I-140 or is currently on an extended H1B status beyond the six-year limitation based upon an I-140 petition application pending for at least 365 days (one calendar year).
“This decision is going to directly affect many of our life members as they would now be able to join the professional workforce and
chase the ‘American Dream’,” the Telugu Association of North America said in a statement.
Recent State Department figures show that approximately 76 per cent of those who received H4 status in 2013 were from South Asian countries.
“Many H4 dependent spouses have found themselves to be involuntary homemakers upon their arrival to the US, which not only impacts their family income and sustainability, but also diminishes their ability to expand upon professional skills,” SAALT said.
SAALT has called on USCIS to allow all employment authorisation for all H4 visa holders, as H1B workers and their families are most successful when H4 visa holders have the ability to contribute to their household income and our economy and pursue their goals.
“Today’s announcement is a welcomed first-step that will dramatically help some families in the U.S. but the success of H1B workers, their families and our nation’s economic growth is limited when only some H4 visa holders are eligible for work authorisation,” it said.
