Biden grants huge relief for spouses of H-1B visa workers; Indians to benefit most

On the seventh day of the Biden administration, President Joe Biden granted a huge relief to the spouses of workers on H-1B visas in the US. The decision to revoke the proposed rule on H4 work permit comes on the same day Biden inked an executive order calling for racial equality in the US.

This brings an end to Donald Trump's plans to put an end to an Obama era regulation that allowed a section of spouses of H-1B visa holders to work in the US. The issue of immigrant workers in US has been a rabbit hole as until 2015, H4 visa holders could not legally hold paid employment in the US. As soon as Obama administration changed the game, the lawsuits followed and then Trump administration took the attack on H4 and H-1B visas on another level.

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After this measure became public news, a user named Sharmishtha Mohapatra posted on social media, "Big win for H4EAD holders today. Former Pres Trump's EO to rescind H4 EAD is now withdrawn by POTUS. Let's hope excruciating long wait times often resulting in job loss is taken away too!" H4 visa holders have been on tenterhooks since 2016 as the Trump administration has justified the move to skewer the H4 work permit by saying it is "economically significant" and aligns with its "Buy American and Hire American" executive order.

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"Removing H4 Dependent Spouses from the Class of Aliens Eligible for Employment Authorization" agenda of the Trump administration was intended to keep foreign workers out of US. This agenda was being reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) where it was stuck in bureaucratic redtape for months. According to data from US government, Indian and Chinese workers account for a large share of H-1B and H4 visas. Indians filed 74 per cent whereas China filed 11.8 per cent of all H1B visa petitions.

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