Washington: One hundred and thirty members of the US Congress led by Pramila Jayapal and her colleague Mia Love sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen urging the agency to continue work authorisation for certain H-4 visa holders. “It's the right thing to do. And these rules have made our economy stronger,” said Jayapal, the first Indian American woman in the House. Jayapal and Love have been circulating the letter since April.
“The opportunity for H-4 visa holders to work has made our economy stronger, while providing relief and economic support to thousands of spouses - mostly women - who have been staying in the United States for years,” wrote the members. “Many are on the path to permanent residency, and would already be permanent residents if not for the decades-long employment backlogs.”
“Rescinding the rule will hurt the competitiveness of US employers and the economy, as well as H-4 accompanying spouses and their families. We strongly urge you to reconsider this action. Providing work authorisation for accompanying spouses helps US employers recruit and retain highly qualified employees, putting US policy on par with other countries,”wrote the members.
“H-1B workers and their families are most successful when their spouses have the ability to contribute to their household income and our economy, and the freedom to use their skills and pursue their goals. It is an American value that everyone deserves to be able to use and enhance their skills, be financially self-sufficient, thrive mentally and physically, and pursue their dreams,” wrote the members of Congress.
All the Indian American members of the House, including Reps. Ami Bera and Ro Khanna, Democrats from California, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois signed the letter. Work authorisation for about 98,000 H-4 visa holders, whose spouses are on track for legal permanent residency in the US, was granted in 2015 by the Obama administration. New DHS data released earlier this month notes that the overwhelming majority of H-4 visa holders with work authorisation are immigrant women from India. Most have technical skills comparable to those of their H-1B spouse; about 59 per cent hold post-graduate degrees. More than five per cent have used the work authorisation program to found businesses employing US workers, according to a survey.
The Trump administration has stated its opposition to the work authorisation program. The administration was expected to issue a new draft proposal in February but delayed its decision until June, to study the economic impact of terminating work authorisation, according to a statement from DHS.
