Good news for spouses on H-4 visas in America!
Writing a novel: "1000 Days of Love" | Founder @ unshackled.club | 2x Author of "Unshackled" & "Admitted" | O-1A, NIW, & UK Global Talent Visa Recipient | Emergent Ventures Scholar
Great news: The U.S. Court of Appeals sided with immigrants to continue letting spouses of H-1B holders work in the U.S. Context: "Save Jobs USA" has been in a years-long battle with the U.S. government, trying to take away the H-4 EAD program letting certain immigrant spouses work. Fortunately, a few days ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia endorsed the legality of the rule permitting spouses of H-1B holders to work in the U.S. (Major tech firms like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft backed this rule as it helps attract and retain skilled immigrants.) Some background: In 2015, the Obama administration signed an executive order allowing a *subset* of spouses on the H-4 dependent visa to obtain an EAD card to start working. Until then, these dependents—mostly women from India—were not allowed to work. Since 2015, over 100,000 dependents have applied for and been approved for work authorization. When the Trump administration took over in 2017, they planned to end this ruling, which would have affected not just the 100,000+ spouses but their entire families. Several lawsuits were filed against the H-4 EAD program by organizations such as Save Jobs USA over the years. One such lawsuit was resolved last week. In upholding the district court’s decision, Circuit Judge Justin R. Walker wrote for the court, “This court has already interpreted the relevant provisions of the [Immigration and Nationality Act] to answer a similar question in favor of DHS” in the litigation challenging Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 students. “Because Save Jobs USA has not meaningfully distinguished this case from that binding precedent, we affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment.” The decision will ensure companies can continue to leverage international talent and address skill shortages. If you are on an H-4 EAD right now, I hope this gives you some peace of mind knowing you can continue to work! ……. Please re-share this post so it helps more people! 🙏 Finally, if you’re an immigrant in America, join 17000+ who get my weekly newsletter packed with breaking news & free resources like this: https://lnkd.in/gKtUGU-r :) #unshackled #immigration #USA #o1 #h1b #eb1 #visas #startup #india
