Senators urge work authorization for H-4 Visa Holders |
Senators Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, threw their support behind thousands of Indian American immigrant women Sept. 25 with a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, asking the agencies to reconsider a proposed rule that would strip them of the ability to work in the U.S. Rescinding the H-4 rule will result in significant personal hardship to women who will be forced to abandon their professional careers. They added preventing women from engaging in employment can lead to isolation, depression, anxiety, feelings of guilt, and a loss of self-worth. Under the rule, the women, who are mostly South Asian, are able to employ their education and professional training in the U.S. as doctors, nurses, scientists, teachers, academics, and technology professionals, amongst other careers in high-demand, skilled fields. The Trump Administration has long stated its opposition to work authorization for H-4 visa holders whose H-1B spouses have approved I-140s, the first step to getting a green card. A per-country annual cap – which limits each country to no more than nine percent of the available employment-based visas allotted that year – has created a massive backlog for Indian Americans, the primary recipients of H-1B and H-4 visas.
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