We have divided topics and summarised the latest updates on the top for easy review. If you need to additional details, check history, background, predictions and detail updates, scroll down and review timeline for all updates, opinions, FAQs.
Latest H4 EAD News Updates, Summary :
Below is the summary of the latest news updates on H4 EAD.
Impact of New Trump Administration in Office:
January 2025:
- Since Trump Administration took office in Jan 2025, there has been no new update on the H4 EAD status.
- In the past, they had plans to remove H4 EAD, but did not happen. At this point, we do not know what their plans are until the regulatory agenda comes out in the upcoming months. We will keep this article updated, if anything changes. Stay tuned.
- As of now, H4 EAD will be there and you can continue to use it.
Below are the most recent H4 EAD News on various fronts.
Impact of Biden’s Win on H4 EAD program
The original H4 EAD was created under Obama-Biden administration. So, Biden win is a positive thing for H4 EAD program. What we do not know is the Court situation. On Jan 25th, 2021, OMB has withdrawn the H4 EAD Removal rule. DHS has to defend their action now in court, in the past they said they plan to cancel it and had regulatory agenda item as well. It will now boil down to the court arguments and how the facts are presented. We need to wait and see, how this whole thing works in court.
H4 EAD Rule Removal – Rule-making Process :
- Jul 2023 : As of July 2023, no new update since the withdrawn status. H4 EAD Continues to stay.
- May 4th, 2021 : No new update since the withdrawn status.
- Jan 26th, 2021 : Finally, on Reginfo.gov we have an update on the H4 EAD Rule removal. It status says withdrawn and the OIRA concluded the OMB Review ( EO 12866 Regulatory review ) on Jan 25th, 2021.
- The withdraw status means that DHS does not plan to pursue the H4 EAD rule removal anymore. It is a big positive thing for H4 EAD holders.
- There are no additional details given regarding the rationale of OIRA to withdraw the rule. See below screenshots and check official Reginfo.gov website H4 EAD Status
- Jan 2nd, 2021 : No new update on the rule making in the last few months since July 2020 until Jan 2, 2021. It is still on hold with OMB for further review.
- June 30th, 2020 : Spring 2020 Regulatory agenda was announced with H4 EAD removal in that list. This is not the first time that is happening, it has been there since Spring 2018 agenda, until this agenda. The dates has been moving. Now in this agenda, they have moved the date for publishing the rule for public comments to September 2020. See below screenshot Nothing changed, still the status is with OMB and no changes on the same. We continue to wait. See
- If any news article states, DHS Plans to remove by Sep 2020, that is wrong, it is only the NPRM ( Notice for Proposed Rulemaking ) date for public to give comments.
- You can check H4 EAD Predictions Timeline with projected dates, based on if they publish it by September 2020, when we can expect the rule to be removed.
- Read More at Spring 2020 Regulatory Agenda H4 EAD
- June 29th, 2020 : No new update on the H4 EAD removal rule making yet. It is still stuck with OMB. Trump Signed Proclamation banning Entry of H1B, H4 other visa holders without valid visa on day of proclamation. There is no direct mention of H4 EAD in the proclamation, but it is speculated that they banned H4 entry due the H4 EAD option for few and they can impact the job market. It is instructed to DOL, DHS to look into work visa programs, so we need to see how this will impact H4 EAD.
- Jun 14th 2020: There are rumours that H4 EAD removal could be part of Trump Executive Order, so far we have no update on the Executive order. There is no official new update in June yet on the rule removal of H4 EAD. Nothing changed in May and April with the H4 EAD Rule removal.
- USCIS updated in their court brief on May 4th saying that they plan to publish the H4 EAD revoke rule in Spring 2020 agenda and publish the rule for NPRM soon. As of now, it is still in same pending state. USCIS is really busy handling cases with various visa situations tied to COVID-19 related B2, H4 extensions, updates
- March 30th, 2020 : Nothing happend in March with Rule making. to remove H4 EAD. There was nothing in Feb and Jan 2020. It has been stuck with OMB. The original planned NPRM date for H4 EAD rule removal was in March 2020, but with the coronavirus situation, nothing moved.
- November 21st, 2019 : H4 EAD rule removal continues to be part of the Fall 2019 Regulatory Agenda. It is mentioned with a NPRM date of March 2020, which is in-line with the DHS info given as part of the lawsuit. No changes are done to the H4 EAD rule yet. Being part of the regulatory agenda just means that it is still a priority for DHS, nothing more than that. Indian media and other media create hype and write lot of misleading information confusing everyone and creating panic, do not fall for that. Nothing has been done. This rule has been on every regulatory agenda since Spring 2018, so nothing to panic…still long way to go. You can check out the full details at : Fall 2019 Regulatory Agenda – H4 EAD, H1B, F1, USCIS changes . Below is the date of march 2020
- November 13th, 2019 : The Reginfo.gov website has a new update on the rule revoke, where Infosys has scheduled a meeting with OMB. This is part of the standard process to hear from stakeholders on the rule changes. See below and check Reginfo.gov
- November 8th, 2019 : No new update in H4 EAD rule removal yet in October, it is still in the same state as before, pending with USCIS. There was nothing in September as well.
- Previous update, include a document tied to the May 1st meeting was posted on the OMB meetings page for the rule. All it tells is that H4 removal will impact many and should not be removed. It is by few advocacy groups. See below. They have the H4 rule in pending state for a very long time, they only cleared H1B Registration Fee rule few weeks back
- H4 EAD Rule Removal Status – OMB : On June 20th, H4 EAD rule removal hit 90 + 30 days, which is general timeline, but nothing came out. One key thing is that, if the head of the rulemaking agency wants, the review period can be extended indefinitely and there is no timeline. See below screenshot. Check EO 12866 FAQs. Check below timeline for more history.
- ( Unofficial – June 20,2019 ) There was a tweet by one of the attorney’s attending AILA Annual conference saying that the economic analysis was wrong and Govt is trying to fix that and there is no estimated time on the same. You can check tweet
H4 EAD Lawsuit in Court:
- March 28, 2023 : After many back-and-forth motions, eventually on March 28th, 2023, the court dismissed the lawsuit and granted judgment in favor of DHS. Basically, it means that DHS had the authority to create H4 EAD and it is here to stay. Check full court ruling at Lawsuit Judgment Document
- May 4th, 2021 : The reports as per the schedule from March 5th, continue to be filed by both the parties. Will be updated after we review the documents.
- March 5th, 2021 : A Joint status report was filed by DHS with the below dates for the future. We will keep you posted with the updates.
- Feb 14th, 2021 : No new update in the lawsuit since October 2020 until February 14th, 2021. The case status is as it looks October 2020. There is no update on the status.
- There were two updates in February 2021 related to attorney appearances in the case. They are just administrative processes related to representation in court. But, no real update on the case judgment or progress on the same.
- As DHS has withdrawn the H4 EAD rule removal from the rule making process in Jan 2021, they need to justify their action in action. In the past their stance was different. We need to wait and see how the court reacts to this.
- We may some action now that DHS was withdrawn the rule making process to revoke H4 EAD. We may see Save Jobs USA file some motion on this.
- October 5th, 2020 : There was a joint status report that was filed in the court indicating the status of the case. The status document tells the state of affairs with the case. No decision in it. As per the report, Save Jobs USA wants decision on this soon. But, the intervenors want the case to delayed as the president election is upcoming. DHS says they are OIRA does not have time to work on H4 EAD case due to priorities with COVID-19 situation.
- September 30th , 2020 : No real update in the court case. There are some minor changes in attorney’s representing the case. That details are updated to the court. You can see below. But, in terms of the lawsuit status, nothing has changed. There is no response on the injunction order. See below screenshot on the updates timeline in September.
- September 15th, 2020 : No relevant update from the court in September in terms of the case, except minor change in attorney details. We continue to wait. Below are more details.
- There was one minor change in attorney details submitted to the court for the intervenors. See below history of the case.
- It is stuck in same status as before. No response on the injunction order to stop H4 EAD by district court. If it is not a priority, court will not process Injunction order. Based on it being on hold for so much times, it seems like not a priority for court for injunction order to stop H4 EAD.
- There was one minor change in attorney details submitted to the court for the intervenors. See below history of the case.
- August 30, 2020 : There was no update in August and July on the lawsuit.
- June 29th, 2020 : Below are the updates on the court case
- Immigration Voice/ Intervenors filed Supreme Court’s DACA Judgment Document on June 23rd, 2020 to be considered by the court for their future decisions as they believe it is an important decision to consider.
- The reason they filed the document is that Save Jobs USA argued that DHS exceeded their authority and issued H4 EAD and they referenced DACA case in the past. Now, Immigration voice want to make it clear that from DACA decision from Supreme Court that they did not evaluate the work authorization granting authority of DHS in the decision of DACA.
- This is to not a positive or a negative factor in the case, but a neutral point and DHS authority is not evaluated by other court. See below screenshots.
- So far, the court has not acted on the Injunction request to Block H4 EAD that was filed by SAVE Jobs, we continue to wait on that.
- June 14th, 2020 : No new update yet from Court in June Yet. We are waiting since May 8th on the response from court. See below screenshot. We are waiting for Court to respond on the Injunction order request by Save Jobs.
- May 11th, 2020 : Save Jobs has filed response arguing against DHS and Immigration Voice, intervenors asking for injunction order to stop H4 EAD. Read Save Jobs USA response to DHS, Intervenors for Injunction Order
- May 7th, 2020: DHS and Immigration Voice submitted their response to Save Jobs USA request for Preliminary injunction to stop new H4 EADs and Extensions, if the case is stayed ( activities are suspended ) by court. There is a lot of misleading information published by Media outlets telling DHS stance has changed and they have told that they will not revoke H4 EAD, this is not true. DHS Stance has not changed. They plan to revoke H4 EAD as per their plan and currently plan to publish the H4 EAD rule revoke item in their Spring 2020 Agenda item as per plan. The context of DHS stating that H4 EAD does not cause irreparable damage was only for injunction consideration…Without context the meaning changes and many have twisted the truth. Read Complete Summary of H4 EAD for March to May 2020 – DHS Response for full clarification
- April 20th, 2020: There were a lot of updates on the court case side in the last 30 days. Unfortunately, we all were tied up with current pandemic situation and missed to post updates. Currently, court has given dates for all the parties to submit motions and case details. The deadlines are for Immigration Voice, it is April 20th, Response by Save Jobs due by May 4th. We will post full updates on this soon. Stay tuned. For now, below are the case action summary for your review directly from court.
- March 16th, 2020 : No new update in March yet. Either of the parties are yet to file the documents. Only the appointment of the new trial lawyer is done by DHS so far.
- Feb 24th, 2020 : The district court received the judgement order from the appeals court and also court informed that DHS appointed Trial lawyer Joshua S. Press as the new Counsel for Defendant. Neither parties have filed any documents yet. See below screenshots of the latest update details from Feb last week.
- Feb 11th, 2020 : The appeals court on February 7th issued a formal mandate on the previous judgment given in November 2019. Basically, a mandate is nothing but a formal order from appeals court telling that their process is over and the judgment is final from their side and it has to be taken up by the lower court. The Mandate document is filed after the re-hearing requests deadline is passed. As you know re-hearing requests were filed by DHS and Immigration voice, but they were denied by court. Hence, Appeals court ultimately issued the formal mandate/order to the District court to take the case further. Now, the next steps will be from District court where the merits of the case would be looked at…. It is going to be a long process as well…We need to wait and see… Below is the screenshot of the formal mandate from the appeals court.
- January 27th, 2020: Court responded to the rehearing request by Immigration Voice on Friday, Jan 24th, 2020. It was denied by Judges and panels. There were two court orders that were released denying the re-hearing petition by Immigration voice & intervenors. See below. Next step is for the case to go back to district court as the re-hearing request is denied.
- December 30th, 2019 : We had updates on the lawsuit, where motion was filed by DHS for extension of date for rehearing, which was denied by court. Also, Immigration Voice also filed for rehearing challenging the judgment by appeals court. Check out the complete details at H4 EAD Lawsuit – Rehearing Requests, Court Order Summary . Below are the various timeline of events filed with court.
- November 8th, 2019 : Court gave Judgment today in favor or Save Jobs USA. The H4 EAD Case will be sent back to District court for next steps. This win for Save Jobs does not mean that they got the case in their favor, all they got is a win in Appeals court for them to go back to District Court and contest the case again. District court will review the case again in detail. So, it will be dragged further. See below and Read H4 EAD Lawsuit – Court Judgement Summary
- November 4th, 2019 : No new update last week. The most recent update on the case that transcript of Oral Argument was entered on Oct 22nd. It does not really mean anything in terms of the decision. Just a process thing for the court. See below. We are waiting for the Court opinion/ Judgment. There is no SLA as such, we need to wait, can be few weeks or couple of months. You can see below screenshot taken on Oct 28th, 2019, which says the update is from Oct 22nd, 2019.
- September 27th, 2019 : Court had oral argument on time. It lasted about 45 min or so. We have compiled the entire key points of the argument. Read H4 EAD Lawsuit – Oral Argument Summary, Next steps.
- September 25th, 2019 : Court has given the final schedule and timing for each of the parties int he Oral argument. Each of the parties get 15 minutes. DHS 15 min and Save Jobs 15 minutes to present their argument. This will be the first oral argument of the day. They changed the order, if you see previous update, it was the second one. See below from court website.
- September 20th, 2019 : DHS and Save Jobs submitted two documents.
- Initially, DHS Submitted a document that references a case called “Humane Society II”, where the current Appeals court rejected the case as lacking standing. DHS basically looked at previous cases and picked up something that the current Appeals court dismissed and referenced the same so that the oral argument would be in their favor. See below screenshot.
- Save Jobs submitted response to the DHS claim indicating they did share clearly the injury details in the past and does not find any relation with the Humane Society case, also DHS did not mention about this case details in the past and are inventing these now…See below screenshot.
- We need to see how the court will consider the new case details that DHS is comparing to and how Save Jobs has responded to the same.
- Initially, DHS Submitted a document that references a case called “Humane Society II”, where the current Appeals court rejected the case as lacking standing. DHS basically looked at previous cases and picked up something that the current Appeals court dismissed and referenced the same so that the oral argument would be in their favor. See below screenshot.
- September 18th, 2019 : Court issued an order in the evening that the oral argument would go on as planned before on Sep 27th, 2019. No changes to the plan. They say that the argument will be limited to issue of standing. Basically, what they are trying to say is that they will look at Save Jobs USA’s key argument point, why they came to US appeals court, as district court said Save Jobs lacks standing, rather than current H4 EAD rule revocation in progress. You can read the actual Save Jobs Argument brief summary submitted in Jan 2019. See below the Standing Point from Summary Judgement of District Court from 2016 and current court order :
- September 16th, 2019 : DHS, Save Jobs USA and Immigration Voice submitted documents to court for the recent order issued by Court on Sep 11th. Below is the summary
- DHS says, it is still working on the rule and going through the regulatory process. Their earliest planned date to publish is Spring 2020 and they say the oral argument should be removed. See below.
- Immigration Voice says, the oral argument must be removed as well as it will be waste of court time and resources as the case is not ripe for oral argument and also that Save Jobs could not demonstrate potential harm due to the H4 holders working, so no point in oral argument now. See below.
- Save Jobs USA says, The oral argument should proceed as planned as DHS gave multiple assurances that H4 Rule would be removed, but nothing really happend. They wasted 2 years of time, they were granted multiple chances to remove the rule, but no concrete action was taken. There has been years of delay and taking this off the oral argument will hurt the American workers. Also, they are questioning the DHS authority, if they could issue the rule or not, so should proceed. Save Jobs also believes that even if they proceed with H4 EAD rule removal, there are many, trying to challenge that in lawsuit, so it has a difficult path, so oral argument should be held now. See below.
- You can check the actual court documents on our H4 EAD Lawsuit Court Documents Page
- DHS says, it is still working on the rule and going through the regulatory process. Their earliest planned date to publish is Spring 2020 and they say the oral argument should be removed. See below.
- Updates Before Sep 16th, 2019 : You can scroll down below for previous updates in order by dates before.
General H4 EAD News :
- May 4th, 2021 : No new general news on H4 EAD in last year or in current year in last few months. Now with COVID situation, the biometrics appointments are delayed and ASCs are slowly opening.
- Dec 30th, 2019 : No general H4 EAD news in December yet. Nothing in November, October and September. Below are some general updates from previous months.
- H4 EAD Processing time Delays Lawsuits : Since June 2019, Immigration Law firms like RN Law firm in Houston, TX have been filing H4 EAD delays lawsuits every couple of weeks…there were multiple H4 EAD delays lawsuits filed by many individuals stating that H4 EAD adjudication delays with New H4 Biometrics Process is causing hardships for them due to the USCIS delays. You can check Summary of H4 EAD Processing Delays Lawsuit.
- H4 EAD Protection act Bill re-introduced : Rep Eshoo re-introduced H4 EAD protection act bill in House in May, and it is in sub-committee for review as of June 2019. All details at H4 EAD Employee Protection act Reintroduced 2019.
Check full detailed updates in below timeline. Scroll down bottom for latest H4 EAD news update. Join Telegram, Facebook and Community Forum to discuss, ask, share.
This article covers below aspects:
- Background to H4 EAD Rule
- What’s H4 EAD Lawsuit filed in court ?
- H4 EAD and Trump Administration actions history timeline by date from 2017 to today, Latest News, Lawsuit updates
- H4 EAD Revocation common FAQs – validity, can you apply, future applications, etc.
- H4 EAD Rule Revocation Impact Analysis and current state Summary
- User Comments – Heated discussions
You may check out our short video on Entire H4 EAD History from 2015 to 2018.
Background of H4 visa EAD Rule :
For many years, since the H4 visa program inception, H-4 holders have not been provided with any work authorization. This changed on May 26, 2015 when USCIS passed the Employment Authorization for Certain H-4 Dependent Spouses rule. The H4 visa dependent spouses were eligible for work authorization EAD provided the H-1B spouse satisfies one of the below two:
- Have an approved I-140, which is the immigration petition for foreign citizens to get Green Card or Permanent Residency in USA.
- Have H1B visa status extended beyond 6 years under AC21 Act, which allows H1B holders seeking Green Card to work and stay in USA beyond 6 years, if their Green Card or Permanent Residency Application is Pending.
Soon after the H4 Visa EAD Rule was enacted, two things happened:
1. Thousands of H-4 spouses applied for H4 visa EAD ( Employment Authorization Document) and got their first chance to work in US after many years of staying at home.
2. A lawsuit was filed against the H4 EAD rule to stop it from going into motion. More details on H4 EAD Lawsuit.
What’s the H4 EAD Lawsuit ?
‘Save Jobs USA’ (an organization comprised of IT workers who claim they lost their jobs to H-1B workers) filed its lawsuit against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on April 23, 2015 before the rule was about to go live. The lawsuit was initially dismissed by a Federal district court in September 2016 (check references below ) as “Save Jobs USA” could not defend their lawsuit that H4 EAD holders will impact them. The plaintiffs, who is ‘Save Jobs USA’, filed an appeal to the United States Court of Appeal for the DC Circuit. The plaintiffs, claim two things:
1. The new rule has no protections for US workers and increases the pool of workers looking for jobs
2. DHS never had the authority to grant EADs to H-4 visa holders.
H4 EAD & Trump Administration Timeline, Latest News :
Since President Trump’s administration took office, there has been lot of speculation and rumors about what will happen to H-4 visa EAD rule. Below is the timeline of what has happened since President Trump took oath:
- February 2, 2017 : The Trump administration requested ( filed a motion) a 60 day abeyance (state of temporary inactivity ) to consider the issue and submit their brief ( response to consider the case).
- April 3, 2017 : The administration asked ( filed a new motion) for additional 180 day abeyance(state of temporary inactivity ) before they can provide their opinion. The Trump administration will update court every 60 days on the issue and update court before elapse of 180 days.
- June 23, 2017 : The appeals court granted a stay on Jun 23rd, 2017 and asked both the parties, SAVE Jobs USA and DHS to file further motions on how they would like to proceed with the case by Sep 27, 2017.
- September 20, 2017 : SAVE Jobs USA has filed its motion stating that DHS has not taken any action and no publication of rule has been done in Federal register related to the H4 EAD rule and they requested for oral argument to conclude the case. They continue to tell that the delay would hurt american workers and new litigation would begin again.
- September 27, 2017 : DHS ( Trump administration) filed a motion and requested the appeals court to hold the current H4 EAD case again in abeyance( which basically means hold on temporarily in suspension ), until December 31,2017. The whole reason DHS have asked for this extension is to ensure that DHS and administration align their entire approach to implement Trump Executive Order 13788 on Buy American Hire American and consider how to handle the H4 EAD rule as part of overall view. For source, you will need PACER Login to view the entire document on court’s website. Below is a screenshot of the actual info.
- November 17, 2017 : There was a new request to extend the deadline, but court has denied the extension and has asked to continue and proceed and file their motions by January 2nd, 2018. See below
- November 21st, 2017 (Unofficial – News) : A News article on Breitbart news says that there is a regulation drafted by DHS and is on the table to end the H4 visa EAD program. Until we see this published, it is still a rumor. You can read the News on Breitbart.com . There are so many speculations all over the place, please take every news with a pinch of salt.
- December 14th, 2017 ( Official ) : DHS has published an agenda item “Removing H-4 Dependent Spouses from the Class of Aliens Eligible for Employment Authorization” today in the Fall 2017 Regulatory agenda. Basically all it says is that they intend to amend the original rule published for H4 EAD Rule in 2015 and potentially remove it as per the Buy American, Hire American EO by Trump Administration . It states that the DHS Secretary has authority to do as per INA regulations. Not many details published except that it is part of the agenda and they plan to remove it. We have no details on what happens to current H4 EAD holder working. As of today, basically nothing changes as it is in proposed rule state. We can expect progress or update on this in February 2018. Below is a screenshot on what you see on regulations.gov You can check the actual official info at Reginfo.gov
- December 22nd, 2017 ( Official ) : Both DHS and SAVE Jobs have filed respective motions, one to hold the case in abeyance (hold), other fo oral argument and not hold the case in abeyance. Below is quick summary.
- DHS Motion Summary : DHS has filed a motion to hold the lawsuit in abeyance ( basically on hold/suspension ) as they are in regulatory process of implementing the “Removal of the H4 EAD” and they plan for Notice for proposed rule making ( NPRM) in February 2018. They say that having an oral argument now is of no use, when the H4 EAD rule is going to removed with regulation. As they are in process of removing, they are asking more time and will inform court in July, 2018 on the progress. You can check the document link in Official Documents section below.
- SAVE Jobs Motion Summary : SAVE Jobs argues that in the first place DHS never had the authority to implement the H4 EAD rule without an act in Congress. They say that the regulatory process will take years, as the previous H4 EAD rule making took over 2 years from publication in regulatory agenda, and it will impact many of the Americans. Also, this process will lead to more lawsuits around the DHS rule to remove H4 EAD. The best path is to have oral argument and have a judgment.You can check the document link in Official Documents section below.
- Current Status : Court is yet to review and give a decision on the motions filed by both. We will keep you posted.
- Official Documents : You can read both the documents at H4 Visa EAD – Official Court Documents DHS, SAVE Jobs.
- January 5th, 2018 ( Official ) : Many are waiting still for the update as we are past Jan 2nd, 2018 ,which was when we are supposed to hear something from the Court. As of now, there is no update on the case. We have checked court case updates, nothing has been published. Just to give you a perspective, the court has responded at least over 1.5 month after the motions were filed. As you can see below the actual court updates from the case on Court’s website, I have highlighted the one in RED, where court responded to the Motion filed. Now, if the same trend continues from court, we may not hear back anything end of January or February. Of course, just guessing here based on history. We will keep you posted, once there is an update. As nothing has happened, it can be assumed that Court has given DHS until July 2018 to hear the update. Again, we need official court response, will let you all know, once updated by court.
- February 21st, 2018 ( Official ) : After a very long wait, finally today there is an update on the case by court. They have ordered the case to be held in Abeyance ( basically hold) and denied the plea of oral argument by SAVE Jobs. As you can see below, they mention that, the reason for their decision is that they see the plan of rule-making by DHS to propose rule to remove H4 EAD in February 2018. DHS is asked is report status on the H4 EAD rule within 90 days from the order day, which is today Feb 21st, 2018 and also every 90 days after that. Basically, DHS has to file an update with Court by May 22, 2018 on the H4 EAD rule-making. Now, as far as the rule-making from DHS, nothing has been sent to OMB yet for review. So, we need to still wait.
- Official Documents : Read Official Docs at H4 Visa EAD – Official Court Documents DHS, SAVE Jobs.
- Next Steps : DHS to update Court regarding H4 EAD rule making by May 22, 2018.
- H4 EAD Removal Rule Making Status : No rule is sent to OMB for review yet. Need to wait.
- February 28th, 2018 ( Official ): DHS filed a status report with the DC Circuit Court stating that upon review by USCIS, they believe that draft of the regulation need to be revised further and they need some more time until June 2018.hey anticipate that it will be June 2018, when they can submit the proposed regulation to Office of Management and Budget for review and clearance in time for publication. The court document says that the decision to remove H4 EAD using regulation does not change, but they need more time. See below the document with sections highlighted.
- Official Documents :Read Official Docs at H4 Visa EAD – Official Court Documents DHS, SAVE Jobs.
- Next Steps : DHS to update court regarding H4 EAD removal regulation rule making process in next 90 Days, maybe end of May 2018.
- H4 EAD Removal Rule Making Status : Regulation will be revised further and send to OMB by June 2018. Need to wait.
- March 26th, 2018 ( Official ): Few of the Members of Congress wrote to USCIS Secretary requesting to reconsider and not revoke the H4 EAD rule. But, USCIS responded saying just that, they are working towards the president’s goal of Buy American and Hire American and everyone will get a chance to submit comments during the rule comments period to submit feedback. See below. You can check the actual Request Letter and Respond from USCIS
- April 4th, 2018 ( Official ): USCIS Director wrote to Senate outlining various H1B and H4 changes in a letter and plans of USCIS. It also talks about their intention to remove H4 EAD and the regulation in planning. Below is the screenshot of the exact info. It clearly tells that they plan to remove it with regulation and public will get a chance to provide feedback during comment and notice period. Check original document of USCIS Letter sent to Senate Judiciary committee
- May 10th, 2018 ( Official ) : H4 EAD Rule removal is now part of Spring 2018 agenda and the timeline has been updated to June 2018 for rule proposal and comment period. The current rule published in RegInfo.gov does not have much changes, except there is no need justification in the current rule proposal. See below the comparison. The green highlighted one is not there is Spring 2018 rule info. Check the actual rule info at Reginfo.gov Spring 2018 H4 Removal Rule
- May 16th, 2018 : A group of 130 members of congress lead by Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Rep. Mia Love, signed a letter to the DHS asking Trump administration to reconsider its plans to remove H4 EAD rule for certain spouses of H1B. You can read actual : Singed Letter H4 EAD
- May 23rd, 2018 ( Official ) : Despite all the letters, etc. nothing has changed from DHS/ USCIS in their stance towards the rule removal. Yesterday, DHS filed an update with the court indicating their stance and the progress with H4 EAD removal rule. It is a simple update and tells that the H4 EAD rule removal is in final clearance and will be sent to OMB for review and their plans remain unchanged for publication of NPRM for H4 EAD Removal Below is the most important piece of info clipped from the court document. You can check full Official H4 EAD Court Documents
- August 20th, 2018 ( Official ) : USCIS updated court on their latest status indicating that final DHS Clearance review is ongoing and its intention/ stance on the issue remains unchanged. See below screenshot from the exact ruling. In general, the OMB review process takes anywhere from a month or more, so we may expect the ruling around in late September 2018. You can check the full document at Official H4 EAD Court Documents
- September 11th, 2018 ( Official ): SAVE Jobs USA has filed a motion in court asking the court to conduct briefing and oral argument very soon. It is pretty lengthy 11 page document submitted by SAVE Jobs USA that highlights the delays and says nothing has moved in the last year and half and if it goes at this pace, it will take years for this case to be closed and they say “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied”. Also, they say that there could be another litigation as well, if the H4 EAD is removed, so they are asking for oral hearing to clarify one simple question if DHS had the authority to give H4 EAD without Congress approval. The key info is highlighted below in screenshots. If you are interested in reading the actual filed Motion Document, you can check it out at Official H4 EAD Court Documents
- September 21st, 2018 ( Official ): In response to SAVE Jobs motion filed earlier this month, DHS submitted in court their response requesting to hold the case as it is as they are making swift progress. DHS’s senior leadership has reviewed and proposed some changes and they plan to submit the rule to OMB within 3 months. DHS argues in the response document to all the concerns raised by SAVE Jobs USA in their motion regarding more jobs lost, future litigation, etc. The overall message DHS says is that, it is in best interest of everyone to hold the case hearing on hold until the process is completed as it would waste court’s and everyone’s time as their intent has not changed and they are making swift progress. The key info is highlighted below in screenshots. You also read the actual response document at by DHS at Official H4 EAD Court Documents
- October 16th, 2018 ( Official ): Senators Harris and Gillibrand wrote a letter to USCIS on Sept 26th,2018 regarding H4 EAD removal to reconsider as it will create extreme hardship for many families. USCIS responded officially to their letter stating that their priorities are to implement President Trump’s Buy American Hire American policies and safeguard US workers, stating that there will be comment period for everyone to provide feedback. You can check Official Letter from USCIS for Senator Harris
- October 17th, 2018 ( Official ): Fall 2018 Regulatory agenda was published and it included H4 EAD rule removal as one of the agenda item. DHS is looking to propose NPRM for H4 EAD rule removal in November 2018 as per the update. We are just waiting for the rule to be published. Check more details of Fall 2018 Regulatory Agenda – H1B, H4 Impact Summary
- November 16th, 2018 (Official) : A new bill called “H4 Employment Protection Act” was introduced in House by Reps. Eshoo and Lofgren. The whole idea of the bill is to stop Trump Administration from Revoking / Removing the H4 EAD Bill. It talks about hardships and benefits. Still very early stages, not much to predict. You can read Summary of the H4 Employment Protection Act, Status, Impact
- November 16th, 2018 (Official) : Also, semiannual regulatory agenda with H4 EAD rule removal info was published today in Federal Register. It is under sequence number 299. The NPRM is not yet published.
- Nov 17th to Dec 16th, 2018 ( Unofficial) : No updates from Nov 16th to Dec 16th. There was a status report due to Court on Nov 19th, but nothing was sent to court. We are expecting that DHS would very likely publish the rule for OMB review by December 21st, 2018. The reason is that they have mentioned that to the court on September 21st that they would file it to OMB within 3 months and that day would be Dec 21st. Check DHS court documents and above updated from September 21st screenshot of official court.
- Dec 17th, 2018( Official) : US Court of appeals issued two Per Curiam Orders ( basically issued by court and not a specific judge) stating few things :
- To remove the court case of H4 EAD Lawsuit from abeyance ( basically on hold or dormant status)
- Denied the motion filed to expedite the case ( take decision quicker)
- Granted a motion for leave to intervene ( meaning a third party other than the two parties fighting in the case to join the case past deadline ) for ImmigrationVoice team to join the case and let them put in their argument in oral hearing. Check out ImmigrationVoice FB Page
- Ordered all the parties to file a new opening briefs( a written argument on what went wrong with case and facts) and also the new party joined the case to file the same. See dates in below screenshot.
- Below is the screenshot. Also, we have dates now setup for the replacement brief. You can check out full court documents from today at H4 EAD Lawsuit Court Documents History
- It is going to be interesting as we have lot of things going on in parallel with DHS and court case in progress.
- Next Action Steps in the H4 EAD Lawsuit : By Jan 16, 2019 Save Jobs USA has to file a new Replacement Opening Brief ( written documentation supporting their lawsuit ) and after that by Feb 16th, 2019 DHS has to file their Brief (supporting documentation for the lawsuit defence ). Immigration Voice will need to file their Brief ( supporting information and facts) regarding the lawsuit by Feb 22nd, 2019. Based on all of these Brief’s submitted, SAVE Jobs USA has to reply by March 15, 2019.
- You may watch our short 3 min H4 EAD Court Order YouTube Video explaining what the court orders mean.
- Jan 15th, 2019(UnOfficial ) : No new updates on H4 EAD until today in this new Year 2019. Tomorrow is when court should get the replacement brief from SAVE Jobs USA. Also, Trump did a random tweet without any details saying that H1B will be given path to citizenship. With partial Government shutdown, there will be delays for the H4 EAD removal process… Also, We still continue to wait for the proposed rule to be sent to OMB to be reviewed for NPRM. We were expecting it to be published around last week of December 2018, but now with the new court orders and US Govt Shutdown, things have changed and we have to wait and see what happens .
- You may watch recent YouTube Video : Entire H4 EAD Lawsuit, Rule Removal History from 2015 to Dec 2018 ( 3 years 8 Months)
- Jan 16th, 2019( Official ) : SAVE Jobs USA Filed its replacement Opening brief today. It is a pretty lengthly 77 page document with an appendix of 116 pages. The replacement brief filed by Save Jobs USA emphasises on the previous points such as DHS lacking authority to give H4 EADs in first place and how H4 EADs are hurting the SAV Jobs USA members. Check out Summary of H4 EAD Lawsuit Replacement Brief with Argument Points, Facts
- Jan 18th, 2019( Official ) : DHS filed a motion today to put a stay on the deadlines as there is no funding due to Govt. Shutdown and they request to put the case in abeyance and put hold on the deadlines to submit response. Court reviewed it and denied the motion to hold the case in Abeyance or put stay on the deadlines. See below. You can check all court documents at H4 EAD Lawsuit Court Documents History
- You can check out Jan update in short video on YouTube – Replacement Brief Argument , Court Order
- You can check out Jan update in short video on YouTube – Replacement Brief Argument , Court Order
- Jan 23rd, 2019 ( Official ) : DHS filed another consent motion requesting to enlarge the deadlines by 30 days, they have raised Govt Shutdown issues and the situation that many cannot work even on voluntary basis. After further review, Court has given consent for the same. Below is the screenshot. TO read actual documents, check out H4 EAD Lawsuit Court Documents History
- Feb 20th, 2019( Official ) : DHS Submitted the H4 EAD Rule removal to OMB ( Office of Management and Budget) for review today ( see below). It is marked as economically significant. If you look at the general 9 Step Federal Rule Making Process, we are in step number four. OMB Office can take anywhere from few days to 90 days. Now, with all the lawsuit and this going on, it is not very positive news for H4 EAD holders. Based on today’s update of OMB, we have revised the H4 EAD removal Predictions, check out H4 EAD Rule Removal Predictions for updated timelines. The actual H4 EAD removal rule is not published yet and still in proposed rule stage. Still all eligible H4 holders can apply for EAD. Watch the short video below as well. Check the official OMB Pending Review of Rule on Reginfo.gov
- March 12th, 2019(Official ) : On the lawsuit side, DHS has requested Court to extend their date by 14 days due to pre-planned court hearing travels, leave. They have asked the new date to be April 1st. Court is yet to respond to the request. See below for the official info on the documents submitted. On the rule making side, nothing has changed and the rule info is submitted to OMB ( Office of Management and Budget) and they are reviewing the same. If court approves, we may not hear anything until April. We need to wait and see, if court will give the extension…Stay tuned for updates.
- March 14th, 2019(Official ) : Court reviewed DHS request and approved it with an order to extend the date to submit brief to April 1st, see below the revised dates. This order gives DHS more time for OMB review of the initial proposed rule.You can check H4 EAD Lawsuit Court Documents History for actual documents. No new update on the rule-making side, we are still waiting for OMB update on the rule review…DHS is just buying more time to have the rule review complete from OMB, so that they can have a strong brief in the court on their intent to revoke the H4 EAD rule..Stay tuned for updates.
- April 1st, 2019(Unofficial ) : No new updates today as of 8:30 PM EST. Today was the deadline for brief from DHS, but nothing came out today as of 8:30 PM EST.…Usually the updates happen in the business hours, we have not seen anything today. Maybe we see something tomorrow. Also, we are still waiting for review and updated from OMB, we were expecting something there, nothing moved there as well. On the other hand, H1B 2020 Season Starts Today and USCIS Launched H1B Employer Data Hub today. Also, if you are on H4, recently USCIS introduced New Form I-539, with Biometrics that will impact H4 EAD processing times. You can check out our short video in summary for March 2019 updates, you can watch it below. It is a 2 min video. Also, if you are filing
- April 2nd, 2019(Official ) : Late last night ( see below) DHS filed their brief with the court, where they argue that Save Jobs could not establish their argument that it will harm SAVE Jobs Members. It is a 49 page document, we have summarized it. Check out Summary of DHS Argument and Appellee’s brief submitted with court. We have put up a short video on Youtube, you can check it below.
- Also, there is another update on Skilled Immigrants America Facebook group stating the background work done by a group of H4 holders advocating to fight against the removal of H4 EAD rule and lawsuit. They have met with OMB and submitted lot of data and report on the current situation of H4 holders . The group believes that it helped shape up DHS brief to indicate that Save Jobs does not have standing in the case. Check it at : Skilled Immigrants America Facebook group
- April 8th, 2019(Official ) : We had two Intervenor briefs submitted yesterday. One by Immigration voice only and Second one by Immigration voice and other non-profit trade organizations. Both of them support H4 EAD and support all the actions of DHS.
- First Brief by Immigration Voice and Non-Profit Trade Orgs : The first brief is 38 page document and talks about the merits of H4 EAD program to US businesses and highlight the impact and how it will affect families, etc. and support H4 EAD. Key points include
- Contributions to US Economy, Taxes, etc
- Damage done to irrevocable life decisions of H4 Holders
- How EAD will not impact american jobs
- DHS had power to create H4 EAD rule based on 1324a.
- Congress did not prevent H4 EAD as they did not had any intent on the same.
- Send it back to district court, if has different stand on the case.
- For Full details read Summary of Intervenor’s Brief by Immigration Voice and Team.
- You can check out the video summary of this brief below.
- Second Brief by Immigration Voice Only : The second brief is 54 pages and talks about the case supporting DHS brief and the overall case addressing the Save Jobs points raised in their brief.. Key Points include
- DHS argued it correctly in their brief
- Immigration voice has standing as Intervenor due to court order and the potential injury to H4 Holders
- 50 years History of how INA has given authority for DHS to create rules like H4 EAD.
- If different stand, send it back to the district court.
- For full details read Summary of Immigration Voice Only – Intervenor Brief
- You can check out the video summary of this brief below.
- From Rule-making side, no update from OMB on the H4 EAD rule removal yet, it still pending review.
- First Brief by Immigration Voice and Non-Profit Trade Orgs : The first brief is 38 page document and talks about the merits of H4 EAD program to US businesses and highlight the impact and how it will affect families, etc. and support H4 EAD. Key points include
- April 25th, 2019(Official ) : We have a scheduled date now for the OMB review meetings ( EO 12866 Meetings ) for the H4 EAD removal rule. It is scheduled for May 1st, 2019 for 3 pm. It is updated on the Reginfo.gov website. See below. On the lawsuit side from the court, no new updates, it is same state since April 8th. We are expecting something to be filed by Save Jobs USA on April 29th, 2019.
- April 29th, 2019(Official ) : Save Jobs USA filed their Appellant’s reply brief earlier today. It is a 37 page document. In short below is the summary from the reply brief
- Save Jobs USA argues on their fundamental points that H4 EAD hurts their members. They put in counter arguments for DHS and intervenor’s arguments on DHS authority, post complaint date evidence.
- Save Jobs USA says that there is no point in sending this back to old court, as the key points were discussed.
- Also, they say that fundamental rule of H4 EAD was to help H1B holders and it is in the H4 Rule creation charter, now DHS is contradicting its own points, etc. Some of these arguments are logical
- Save Jobs make many references to the cases, only court can validate all such proofs.
- For full details read the article Summary of the Appellant’s Brief filed by Save Jobs USA
- You can watch the video summary as well below
- On the rule removal side, the next meeting is scheduled for 1st of May. Stay tuned for updates.
- May 4th, 2019(UnOfficial ) : No new update today. One of the fellow (who represents Save Jobs USA in the H4 EAD Court Case) from Center for Immigration studies published that OMB may not directly approve H4 EAD rule removal as it is in current state based on his analysis of parallel with DACA as it could end up in legal battle. So, it can take time and DHS will take a deep dive and he believes that Court would ultimately decide such things. Check article . No update on the OMB review meeting. The purpose of the OMB Review meeting, also called as EO 12866 review meeting, is to review the current rule proposed by DHS to assess the holistic purpose, costs, benefits. The exact statement : “Executive Order 12866 requires an analysis of the costs and benefits of rules and, to the extent permitted by law, action only on the basis of a reasoned determination that the benefits justify the costs.”
- May 8th, 2019(Official ) : OMB Meetings list page is fully updated with data from previous meetings that were conducted in March. They were attended by many groups. See below screenshots. There were few meetings held on 3/26/2019. The meeting at 1:30 was attended by IRLI, which is a American Employees Rights Organization, unlike at 1:00 PM the meeting was attended by many Indians and USCIS officials. Most of these meetings are OMB review meetings to assess the impact of the rule as part of due diligence. These meetings can be requested to work with OMB to convey the feedback. Overall, one weird thing is that one of them says Final Rule Stage, it is very confusing as the rule is still in proposed rule stage and you cannot be in final rule stage…I am guessing it could be a typo…Because, as you can see all rules have to go through 9 Rule Making Steps and H4 EAD Removal rule is not there yet…We are still few days away from reaching the 90 days mark for OMB deadline.
- Also, the overall status of the rule on Federal Register has not changed and it still says Pending Review. Only new info added is the meetings data. You can check all of this at Reginfo.gov H4 EAD rule.
- If you know anyone who attended or you are one of them who attended meeting, may you can share details with the community in comments or in WhatsApp groups listed below or Facebook.
- No New update on the Lawsuit side, it is same as before..
- May 20th, 2019(Official & Unofficial ) : OMB Meetings list page had typos of the final rule, now it is updated to reflect “Proposed Rule Stage”, but one typo still exists for the May 1st meeting. it still says Scheduled. Also, we hit the 90 day mark today for OMB review, technically, we should have heard something today, but they can extend by another 30 days until June 20th, need to wait and see. No update from the court side on the Lawsuit, we are waiting for court’s next steps.
- May 22nd, 2019(Official ) : The H4 EAD rule removal is part of the Spring 2019 Regulatory Agenda. It was part of Spring 2018 Agenda as well. Technically NO new status update or new development. Appearing on the regulatory agenda means that, it is still a priority for the current administration and nothing else. See below screenshot and at Reginfo.gov. There are rumors by few websites telling that the rule will be published soon by Govt., which is pure speculation and NOT true. There is no update from the Court Side on the lawsuit.
- May 27th, 2019(Un-Official ) : There is a lot of wrong information/ Fake News reported by many mainstream Indian News Papers online saying that US Govt begins removing H4 EAD… This is false information, nothing new….It is unfortunately trending on Google News as well and many users would see all of these articles in their Google Suggest in browser (see below screenshot). The only thing that happened in the last few days is that H4 EAD rule removal was part of the Spring 2019 Regulatory Agenda, that’s about it. There is one section in that, where it says NPRM Date as May 2019, which is just an approximate date that USCIS gives when they publish a regulatory agenda item. It used to be June 2018, when they published in Spring 2018 agena. Just scroll up to see May 10th, 2018 update…Again, it is pure speculation and that date does not mean anything… Anyways, please do not panic and be mislead. Also, on the lawsuit side, there is no new update from court today as well as of now.
- May 29th, 2019(Un-Official ) : No new updates as of today morning both from the court side regarding lawsuit or on the H4 EAD rule removal side. There is again continuation of the false news spread by many news agencies based on the mainstream media wrong info from previous days, it is trending on Google, do not worry, it is all the same info on Unified agenda of Spring 2019, nothing new other than that. See below the trending info on Google news
- May 30th, 2019(Official ) : Rep Eshoo re-introduced H4 EAD protection act bill yesterday in House. It has a long way to go…We have covered all details at H4 EAD Employee Protection act Reintroduced 2019. Besides that there is nothing new. No updates from the court or on the OMB side from the H4 Rule removal.
- June 6th, 2019(official ) : We have a new lawsuit for H4 EAD delays in processing
- H4 EAD Processing time Delays Lawsuit : A lawsuit was filed on June 6th, 2019 by few individuals stating that H4 EAD adjudication delays with New H4 Biometrics Process is causing hardships for them due to the USCIS delays. You can Read Lawsuit document here .
- On the other hand, for general US visa application, US state department is asking Social Media accounts info on DS-160, DS-260 forms now.
- June 20th, 2019( Unofficial ) : There was a tweet by one of the attorney’s attending AILA Annual conference saying that the economic analysis was wrong and Govt is trying to fix that and there is no estimated time on the same. You can check tweet , see below. Nothing on the lawsuit side. If you are waiting on H4 Approvals, we have couple of users, who reported H4 Extensions Approvals after Biometrics.
- June 21th, 2019( Official ) : We had an update from the court on the on the lawsuit. They published an order with date for the oral argument set to be September 27, 2019 at 9:30 AM. It also says that the argument panel will be revealed 30 days before the date of the argument. It also, says the court order does not change. See below.
- What happens during Oral Argument : On the day of the Oral argument, each of the parties present to the judge with the time allocated to them. Unlike in trial court, during oral argument in appellate level, judges can be active participants and ask questions to the parties. The panel would have read the briefs and free to ask. You can read Wiki Page of Oral Argument in US.
- You can check official court documents H4 EAD for actual court order document.
- June 24th, 2019( Unofficial ) : Many asked, if OMB can extend the review deadline past the 120 days as they hit the deadline on June 20th. The reality is that, if the agency head wants to extend it, they can do it for as long as they want. That’s the guidance, see below screenshot. For official info check EO 12866 FAQs on Reginfo.gov.
- July 1st, 2019( Official ) : Save Jobs USA re-filed their Opening and Reply Briefs with concerns raised by the court on the abbreviations. There were three documents that they filed ( see below). One is the letter, second and third are the actual documents. There are no major changes done, we have verified the documents, they are primarily abbreviations and referral info for some of the documentation for proofs. You can check out the actual court documents filed today at page H4 EAD Lawsuit Official Court Documents
- July 5th, 2019( Official ) : Immigration Voice re-filed their Intervenor Brief with court today to fix the acronym related issues in the brief. They filed only two documents, one that says that they are submitting a letter and second one is the corrected Intervenor Brief document. The document length has not changed we have verified all 53 pages and they look more or less the same, they fixed acronyms such as DHS, AC 21, etc with actual words, and some references info. There were no argument points changed in the document. You can check out the latest court documents filed at page H4 EAD Lawsuit Official Court Documents. No update on the H4 EAD rule removal, it is still stuck with OMB. See below.
- August 30th, 2019( UnOfficial ) : There were no updates in August yet, both court case and the H4 EAD Rule removal with OMB were in same state as in previous month. Also, since June until end of August, many H4 EAD Processing Delays Lawsuits were filed by many individuals using RN Law-group and they claim that it is working and they are getting faster adjudications.
- September 3rd, 2019 : The court website has confirmed the judges names, location and time for the oral argument for H4 EAD Lawsuit. See below. No updates on the H4 EAD rule removal yet.
- September 5th, 2019 : The court issued an order to USCIS/ DHS to give an update by 4 pm on September 10th, 2019 to them on the H4 EAD Rule removal status as it was mentioned in court documents previously that NPRM would be done for H4 EAD rule removal. See below the court document screenshot.
Also, there was a document tied to the May 1st meeting with OMB was posted on the OMB meetings page for the rule. All it tells is that H4 removal will impact many and should not be removed. It is by few advocacy groups. See below. - September 10th, 2019 : DHS Updated Court today that H4 EAD rule removal is submitted to OMB / OIRA for review as per executive order 12866 and it is pending with them. They mentioned that they attended meetings along with OMB and got feedback on the impact and things to consider. See below the actual document screenshot and highlighted text. Nothing is new here. We need to wait and see how the court will react to this. The reality is that DHS has their defence that they are following due process and trying their best to revoke the H4 EAD Rule.
- September 11th, 2019 : The Court after reviewing the respond submitted by DHS has second thoughts and would like to confirm, why the oral argument has to happen now on Sep 27th, 2019. The reason is that they can see that DHS is doing its regulatory process for H4 EAD Rule Removal and there is no good outcome out of the oral argument except DHS saying that they are trying to get through the regulatory process and has to follow process. The Court believes that their time would be wasted, unless there is strong justification to have the oral argument on on Sep 27th, 2019. They have given deadline till Sep 16th, 4 PM to submit response by both the parties in the case.
- September 16th, 2019 : All the three parties posted their court response today. We have summarized the details on top of the page. Please review details there.
- September 18th, 2019 : Court issued an order in the evening that the oral argument would go on as planned before on Sep 27th, 2019. Read the details and screenshot in beginning of the article for summary and screenshot.
- September 20th, 2019 : DHS and Save Jobs submitted two documents, see above in the beginning of page for details on the update.
- September 25th, 2019 : Court gave the order of cases and timing for the oral argument on their calendar, see above in the beginning of page for details on the update.
- September 27th, 2019 : Court had oral argument on time. It lasted about 45 min or so. We have compiled the entire key points of the argument. Read H4 EAD Lawsuit – Oral Argument Summary, Next steps.
- November 4th, 2019 : No update from the court on the judgement until today. As there is no SLA, it can take few weeks to few months…No new update on the rulemaking as well for H4 EAD rule removal.
- November 8th, 2019 : Court gave Judgment today in favor or Save Jobs USA. The H4 EAD Case will be sent back to District court for next steps. See below and Read H4 EAD Lawsuit – Court Judgement Summary
- November 10th, 2019 : There is a minor update on the Reginfo.gov website that indicates that there is a stakeholder meeting scheduled with Infosys on the H4 EAD Rule revoke. Details are at Reginfo.gov
- November 21st, 2019 : H4 EAD rule removal continues to be part of the Fall 2019 Regulatory Agenda, read beginning of article for summary info.
- December 30th, 2019 : There were motions filed for rehearing in the case and court denied request by DHS. They are yet to respond to Immigration Voice’s request for retrial. See above in the beginning of article for more info. We continue to wait on the rule making side.
- January 27th, 2020: There were two court orders that were released denying the re-hearing petition by Immigration voice & intervenors. You can see above in the beginning of article for the screenshots of orders. Next step is for the case to go back to district court as the re-hearing request is denied.
- Feb 7th, 2020: On the court side, we had mandate / order issued by the appeals court on February 7th, directing that the judgement from last year November holds and the district court need to take up the case. See the beginning of article for screenshot and update.
- Feb 24th, 2020: There was an update in the district court that they received the case from appeals court and DHS appointed new trial lawyer, see above for details.
- Mar 17th, 2020: No update in March on the H4 EAD removal rulemaking side, we were waiting for OMB for update. The court had some updates on the case, see above article.
- April 20th, 2020: We had many updates in April and March end in Court case, but nothing moved in rule removal. Check above page first for summary.
- May 7th, 2020: We had an update from court on Lawsuit and many documents were submitted by DHS, Immigration voice and Save Jobs. Check beginning of article for update and summary.
- June 29th, 2020: Immigration Voice filed DACA judgment document last week as a supporting document. Also, we wait for the court to respond on the injunction order request and the H4 EAD rule stands as it is in pending state. Check beginning of article for update and summary.
- September 23rd, 2020: No new updates in September yet.
- Jan 2021 : Check beginning of article for latest update.
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Every proposed rule has to go through Standard 9 Rule Making Steps in US to become law, in our context H4 EAD removal also has to go through the same steps. We have outlined the entire rule making process and mapped it to current H4 EAD rule removal progress. Also, based on data and varying speed, we have done predictions on when we can estimate the rule to be removed. Read article H4 EAD Rule Removal Estimated timeline Predictions for all details. In short, looking at all current situations, we predict that, it may take an estimated amount of 10 months or more for H4 EAD to be removed. With current political climate and new H4 Employee (EAD) Protection Act Bill in House, things can change anytime and slow down quite a bit, stay tuned
Common H4 EAD Rule Removal FAQs
Can you still apply for H4 EAD ? Can you work on H4 EAD, when this revoke rule process is going on ?
Yes, you can continue to apply for H4 EAD and work on H4 EAD. Still the rule is in very early stages and until the rule completes comments, review and it becomes final, you can apply for H4 EAD and work on the same. Read Step by Step guide to Apply for H4 EAD , Biometrics needed ?
Can I apply for H4 EAD in 2023 ?
Absolutely Yes, the lawsuit was dismissed and Biden administration withdrew the removal regulation from their list. You can also check out Step by Step guide to Apply for H4 EAD , Biometrics needed?
Yes, you can. H4 EAD removal rule was withdrawn by DHS on Jan 26th, 2021. Court dismissed the case too. As of today, you can continue to file H4 EAD.
On Jan 25th, 2021, H4 EAD Removal Rule was withdrawn after Biden Administration took office.
Yes, it H4 EAD rule is still valid. The H4 EAD rule revoke process was withdrawn on Jan 26th, 2021, after Biden administration took office.
No, very unlikely. The H4 EAD rule revoke was withdrawn on Jan 26th, 2021, after Biden administration took office.
Summary : H4 EAD Rule Revoke Status ? Court ?
It all started with a lawsuit by ‘Save Jobs USA’, that questioned the authority of DHS to grant EADs for H4. After Trump administration took office, they took charge of the lawsuit, took time, delayed the process and finally aligned to remove H4 EAD rule in line with Executive Order of Trump Buy American, Hire American. They made an item “Removing H-4 Dependent Spouses from the Class of Aliens Eligible for Employment Authorization” , as part of Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019 and Fall Regulatory Agendas indicating their intent to remove the rule and communicated the same to Court in the lawsuit hearings.
Many attempts were made in the meantime by Members of Congress, Many other groups including CEOs of companies, writing letters to USCIS to re-consider and not remove H4 EAD and the hardships it will create to many, but all of them were politely replied saying their intent is to align with Trump’s Executive order priorities and public will get chance to put in their comments during rule removal process. USCIS has been delaying this as they know they have to be very thorough to submit to OMB and then to public.
The H4 EAD rule removal item was sent to OMB for review on Feb 20, 2019 and many meetings were held after that as well. Eventually, after a very long wait after Biden administration took office, the H4 EAD rule removal was withdrawn by them on Jan 25th, 2021.
On the lawsuit front, the judgment was given in March 2023 that DHS had the authority to grant H4 EAD and the case was dismissed.
As it stands today, you can apply for H4 EAD and work on the same and everything is settled.
What are your thoughts ? What do you think of the court decision?
#### All H-4 EAD Holders
Spoke to an Immigration Attorney in D.C who has formerly consulted for USCIS and other departments. H-4 EAD is not going away yet. In all likelihood, H-4 EAD will be added to the Unified Agenda OMB list and announcement could be made third week of December. As H-4 EAD was made through a detailed comment and rulemaking process, the draft of new proposed role back will be quite detailed and the administration will start working on the draft after coming back from new years holidays. Around 90 days comment period is expected and another 60 for deliberation, another 30 for final rule to take effect. Take or leave half of 2018.
Does the attorney know if it will be a complete roll back i.e; no more H4 EADs or they will change rules regarding who to give H4 EADs to?
He thinks it will be a complete roll back and there will be sunset clause for natural expiry of ead’s. All H4 EAD’s will collapse back to H4’s. In best case, the collapse will take 12-18 months. No new visas will be issued, but extensions may be issued if transition date is announced. He thinks they will go soft and go hard at the same time.
They have to come up with strong reason as same DHS approve under obama admin. Department of Homeland security always support H4 EAD in past and that is how the rule is passed back in 2015. Now same DHS is not supporting? Same judge already threw case out of court last time so i am thinking it will not go away as they already know it will be long process to go through comments and all. Lot of fake rumors going on in media and websites about it will be revoked but guess what they only do that because their website get more hits. If DHS would like to cancel or revoked then why in first place they support. Also it went through lot of comment and prove period before it written as a rule so i hard to believe that they will take it away.
You are on Non Immigrant Visa and Asking for Rights. Trump can cancel H4EAD with an Executive order. Compared DACA , H4 EAD is just a drop in ocean. The strong reason already exist, H4 EADs are taking over american jobs with out accountability. The judge before was under Obama administration . now its Trump administration . I voted for Hillary. I lost my job to some one at TCS recently . Next time i am voting for Trump.
You are absolutely clueless Ravi. Rules are made and revoked by administration based on their political mandate. The new administration is very different from the Obama administration. White House directs the administration. Trump administration does not have to explain why Obama administration supported H4 EAD rule. If you are on H4 EAD or H1B, I am surprised that with your low intellect, you got this visa.
The Skilled H4 EADs have enough time to apply for H1b visas. All the Husbands here are just crying about double incomes. Think about an american that lost his job at DISNEY . Trump administration gave fair amount time for DACAs. So stop worrying.
Did you lose your job because of H4 EAD? haha. work on your skills and stop making complain. I am green card holder and my wife is not on h4 EAD but i still believe H4 EAD is not going away.
H4 EAD is not issued to all H1B spouse. It is only who had approved I140 which means they are already in line for GC and no point to wait for 20 years where system is broken. That is why the previous administrator pass the rule and that is basic human rights. Obama admin did not pass because it will take American or frustrated unskill H1B people’s job like you.
Even if they revoked, All H4 EAD will be back in line after I140 EAD rules is pass. HR 392 bill got 300 cosponsors and will pass in near future for sure. You will face same problem after fews years as well. So i would say start working on your skill and show your talent in an interview rather than complaining in public forum.
Keep dreaming Bro . You will be lucky to have your H1b extended . This is the reason I’m voting for republicans next . I lost my job to a low paid idiot from TCS . Anyhow i hope they Air lift you :/
sorry B, you will loose it to automation ! Work on ur skills
Suck it tunnel rat.
Ridiculous. Disney never provide H1B visa. All disney jobs are for citizens. You lost your job opportunity cause your ability does not deserve the wages you are asking for and you blame that to foreigners who got higher education, more skilled but with lower pay. This is a free market, employees are much more clear than anyone what kind of employers they need. Why don’t you blame that the illegal immigrants took the washer jobs from you?
Hi Kriti,
It would be really helpful if you could please provide the contact info of this immigration attorney in D.C.? He seems to have good idea on what is going on and would like his consultation.
Thanks
Even if it’s decided to roll back the h4 ead, can’t the rollback be delayed by months and months if someone decides to file a case against the new regulation that rescinds h4 ead?
Because oh law firm shared this view on their news bulletin on 18th November.that it will take months and months for repeal to happen. And infinity if a few court cases are filed.
H4 EAD is gone. Only question is what happens to existing H4 visa holders. May be the Dept will allow them to work for a year or so. In the light of the current situation, H1b visa holders, must accept the reality, that to get some increase in H1b quota and also relief in green card waiting period for India/China, it is better to let H4 EAD go. H4 did not exist prior to 2015 anyway.
you cheap, fraud indian shameless who is fighting against the citizens will soon lose and go back!! you are a shame to the entiore indian community. cheap and fraud!!!
@Shan: First learn the spelling of “Entire” and search for job.
According to the US Department of State, 14,768 TN visas (Canadian/Mexican) were issued in 2016, with an additional 9,762 being issued to spouses and children of these professionals. Annually, 10,500 e3 work visas are issued to Australian citizens wanting work in the USA. The beneficiaries of both of these visa’s are 90% Indians. Of course this is a far smaller number than H1B visa (180,057 granted in 2016), but still Indian workforce will still continue to penetrate into United States, using their foreign nationality, whatever doors they close!!!
Where are you getting your numbers from ? In 2016, only 122 TN visas were issued and 45 TD (Dependent Visas) were issued. For Mexicans, 14646 TN Visas were issued and 8863 TD visas were issued. TN visas are only issued to Canadian or Mexican citizens. Two problems with your numbers :
1. The State Department does not provide breakdown of Mexicans and Canadian Citizens country of origins.
2. Are you saying that 90% of Mexican citizens who came on TN visas were Indian ?
Always check your numbers.
I got the TN numbers from the “United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary” website:
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2017-10-23%20CEG%20to%20USTR%20(TN%20Visas%20and%20NAFTA%20Renegotiation).pdf
Now, where did you get your numbers – “In 2016, only 122 TN visas were issued and 45 TD (Dependent Visas) were issued”, which world are you living in, Karthik???
I am sticking to my argument, a large majority of the TN and E3 work force are ‘East Indians’, doesn’t matter whether they have Canadian, Australian or Mexican passports. Do you know that most of the Indian illegal immigrants are coming through the Mexico route?
The Department of State’s visa report shows that: 14,768 TN visas were issued in 2016, (along with 9,762 TD visas for spouses and children), another 13,093 were approved in 2015, and 11,207 in 2014, for a total of 39,068 TN visas issued (largely to Mexican workers) in the last three full years. Although Canadian workers are not required to apply for a TN visa, a Canadian news source recently estimated that “30,000 to 40,000” Canadians work in the U.S. in TN status. The number of TN visa workers employed in the United States has been growing considerably in the recent years. Although the administration does not keep track of the exact number of aliens in TN visa status, statistics that are available suggest the number could be approaching 100,000!!!
TN Visa’s to some extend make sense, US share borders with Canada and Mexico and they have many trade agreements, and this workforce exchange is a part of it.
But look at the E-3 Visa’s, why the HELL are they giving away 10,500 e3 work visas to Australian citizens wanting work in the USA (thanks to President George W. Bush and Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement!), and most of the E-3 Visa recipients are Indians, just take a look at any forums discussing about E-3 Visa’s. Compared to H1-B, the standards for getting TN/E3 Visa’s are significantly easier, and with Trump enforcing all these restrictions, the TN and E3 recipients are going to grow extensively in the future!
UNITED STATES CAN’T CONTINUE LIKE THIS FOR EVER, IT’S HIGH TIME UNITED STATES SHOULD PROTECT THEIR OWN PEOPLE, MAKE SURE THEY ARE EMPLOYED, OTHERWISE EMPLOY THEM, BEFORE THEY CONTINUE BRINGING WORK FORCE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES!!! ISN’T TRUMP’s VICTORY A PROOF OF THIS ANARCHISM?
For all the people and specially Indians in this forum who cry foul about NON IT spouse entering to IT jobs, one question to you, how many Electricals and Electronics engineer have IT jobs ?? How many Mechanical, Civil and all other engineering background engineers are in IT? And then how many IT and CSE background guys ever protested that non-IT education people are doing IT jobs???
And now coming to people who spent “Lakhs” for their education in US, why do you think an employer should give you a job just because you spent lakhs in your education or because you can do your job better? And why would an employer give a job to a over qualified person for a job which requires common sense, or are you trying to imply that you or your parents had more money than others then you have some sort of prerogative over an IT job? How difficult is it to learn coding?? Or develop application?? There are MIT courses and tons of videos in YouTube from where you can learn, you don’t need an advance degree from A fancy institute for that.
Don’t hide away behind the fact that others are non-IT and you are IT. I know people in my profession which requires high understanding of networking, Unix,Linux,Database, C++ were pizza delivery guys and call Center agents and now they are architects of the system.
So just because someone doesn’t have a non-IT background doesn’t disqualify them. And most of the IT Jobs require basic analytics and it’s not a robot science :).
Yes, very true. so we don’t need to go to a colleague and spent money and time on education. Just complete high school , if needed and enter IT or skilled job faking resume and grow from there. Very good advice. 🙂 🙂
If an electronics or electrical majored engineering person enters an IT or computer job they will do that as a fresher and the company trains them. All matters here is trust I believe, the missing of that is causing the problems.
Where did you get the impression that I am advising people to fake resume?? You don’t have to fake anything if you are good in what you do.
I am technical person on H1b and I am not afraid of anyone be it an H4EAD or a expirenced person of 20 years, coz what I can bring to table for a company is what both of the other candidates will not be able to. I have belief in my capabilities and skills which I have acquired over the years and believe in equal opportunity for all.
Just coz I had the privilege of attending engineering doesn’t mean that I have right to call out other people who were not so privileged. Having said that, I know where support faking or lying for a job. Also, I have taken numerous interviews and numerous times I found out that IT background people may have good coding skills but they lack analytics. Whereas numerous times non-IT people have shown teremendous analytical skills. And after so many years due to their sheer determination and will power and hunger to learn and excel those people are doing far better than people who were “qualified” as per you. As a team lead I would rather hire a sound analytical non-IT guy rather than a dumb IT guy.
If you can do that Job, an American do that job as well. So, No one needs H4EAD or H1B to replace an american worker. H4 EAD will be abloished before end of this year.
That’s a decision to be made by Govt, but if that’s the case then all EADs should be abolished. Why target H4EADs only?? Why not L2 EADs??
H4 EAD revoke proposed rule is coming on Nov 30. Inside Information.
how do you know internal news?
May be he knows Tapri guy outside DHS..or neighborhood barber there ??
I have seen the draft rule.
To JK, when the rule is released on Friday, we will talk after that. Perhaps your smile will go away.
Alright. Let’s see. Hopefully you are right. do you think anything within draft says ” We will release by end of friday”. If it does then please give link so i will pass to others so they knows worst thing is coming.
by the way whats your thoughts? Is it h4 ead should stay or need to go away? If it need to go away why? If it need to stay then why?
H1B Aspirant 2018 : Looks like you still need to go for H1B lottery. So, seem frustrated. You seem very talented, why dont you just apply for O visa which are unlimited rather than wishing bad for others (H4EAD aspirants). Why are so afraid from people who who don’t think competent? You want to win a race by ensuring that other don’t participate.
The draft says to be released by 30 Nov. I am a green card holder and so is my spouse. We all benefited from H4-EAD financially and also in career progression, so, I think it should stay. But, it will not. H4, STEM OPT, EB-5 will all go, in the same order. Then, they will crack down big time on H1B. We were fortunate to pass through the queue.
For JK, I do not need to be jealous. But if it makes you feel happy then feel happy. The truth is many of our country men and women are heading home which is sad. But, if you go home I will be happy 🙂 :). Do not hit the door on the way out.
Hey B,
My last comment was for user ‘H1B Aspirant 2018’ and not for you 🙂 . Sorry for posting in wrong thread.
On lighter node I am not going easily. I have already seem every type of Visa problem in life. H1 Lottery denials, H1 Extension denials. I had to once leave country for 45 days. But I survived 🙂 I will keep surviving.. lol.. My spouse is not on H4. But, I hope H4EAD stays till country cap is removed for GC.
Hey B,
Draft rule got published for H4-EAD in Fall Unified Agenda?
H-4 EAD is gone. Check the fall unified agenda report.
If h4 is gone f1visa is in lime light .Dont be exicited there are number or loopholes in US immigration system
Everyone on H4 EAD please educate yourself on the “Unified Agenda” through which rules for H4 EAD revoke will be released. I do not want to add links here but search for “Unified Agenda and Rule Making Process Focus on H4-EAD”
There is too much misinformation online and this helps all of us who want to stay updated. The site will not allow me to add links, so I am not doing it.
Thank you for this information. So, am I correct in saying that a Pre-Rule may be listed in the Unified Agenda, but, not the actual rule ? I am asking this as it gives more time to us.
@ Kriti, yes it is possible that they can post it as Pre-Rule and then release the rule next year. It will be good for all. Hope everyone gets to enjoy their new year without worry.
Thank you. It is quite helpful. This site provides a lot of good information.
I can’t wait h4 ead to be cancelled , I’m tired of seeing incompetent spouses faking their resumes
Resume faking can be done by anyone regardless of the authorization someone holds: be it H4 EAD, Green Card or US Citizenship. It cannot be a case against H4 EAD alone.
Its done more at H4 EAD level, How they have years of experience staying at home ? Obama is stupid to write an executive order for H4 EAD
If H4 EAD is stupidity then H1 is stupidity either. Companies can simply outsource jobs and bring people onsite on L1 when required. There is a lot of faking done on H1 by companies bringing people on mass level.
Apart from that giving GC to H1 is also stupidity when they can just use them as temporary workers and push them out when their term is completed.
It is all about prosperity and growth for the country as well as for the people who contribute for the growth. I feel eligible H4 spouses should be given a chance to compete. If H1 candidate cannot compete with H4 candidates for a job, then surely US does not require such H1’s. Better look for some other professions.
H1 Credentials and experience are validated . No one checks H4 education validity. I have seen evolution of H1 employees, some of them are Just dumb to even write 5 lines of code.
Yes, H1, L1 must be abolished and replaced with real High Skilled visa that will help USA economy and send back all NON IT Degree low skilled labor back to India. These low educated people cant be compared with Microsoft or Google CEO and give them green cards.
All recently issued GC’s should also be revoked. Why not kick all of them out at once?
You are a tapri and a chaprasi who does not like that others succeed.
My wife is a java developer with 6 years of coding experience in oracle. She was not able to work for 3 years. Now she can thanks to H4 ead. There are many such spouses who deserve to work and build their careers. That said, fake resumes are common amongst H1B and H4EAD’s cause there is no background checks.
People who take interviews don’t know how to take interviews? I guess first they should be at the fault.
Either of two eligibility criteria is needed not both for h4. There should be a “or” between them.
Why there are no lawsuits to ban all type of visas and immigration programs? OPT and H1B should be banned. Stop all sorts of immigration cards. If people waiting for GC, H1B, H4, OPT are sent back, it would create 2 Million jobs immediately. Why Govt. is not thinking about it?
Stopping Outsourcing would create 5 Million jobs. So 7 Million jobs created overnight. It is a simple formula.
2 million jobs lost will immediately convert to 2 million jobs outsources in addition to the 5 Million already outsourced. So, 7 million outsourced. Next thanksgiving you will be jobless, hopeless, depressed and suicidal.
No, more like 2 million jobs converted to 6 million IT jobs in USA. 70% of the coders from India are dumb. The other 30% are super smart. We paid $9 million for a project to deliver code not even worth $1000. Companies are already realizing that. Good Luck with Future of Indian IT market.
Actually your numbers are wrong. Only 20% of H1B Indian Coders are super smart. Rest are in support services who do not need to be as smart. As I said earlier, I run a mid-sized company and employ around 100 people in US (2% are on H4-EAD). We have a good system which can catch fake resumes, embellished experiences. Our interviews are in person and run for 4-5 hours in real project environments, not on phone. We do not hire any H4EAD, only those who can pass out test environment interview for coding or support services. Now, let me get you in on another secret. Only 20% of Americans pass that interview as well, rest are average or below average. We struggle to get good people as we have good standards of hiring. Here is the worst part, most of our super smart Indian and Chinese workers want to go home and we are trying out best to give them equivalent packages. In few months, when the good ones and average ones are gone, US employers will suffer and will scramble to outsourcing again. It is game over. When you create a new policy and replace an old one, a lot of work is required on peripheral reforms to sustain the new policy. Otherwise, it becomes a recipe for failure and this new policy is a recipe for failure.
Completely agree. Well said. If the background checks and interviews are stringent you will peel out the fake ones easily. background checks are very thorough in India and you do not see fake resumes there.
Defenitely, you might be a person who got green card and well settled. Or might be one who wishes to work in US and have several failed attempts. What a selfish way of thinking..
Jane, I had H1B and came back home to India on my own after working in a Top 5 tech company in SFO. I now employ more than 300 employees including 100 in the United States. My response was based on how the USGuy responded. When you wish that you win at others expense, then we wish you the same. You cannot possibly replace 2 Million tech jobs held by expats with Americans. Maybe you can fill 300 K but 2 Million are out of question. It will take around 10 years to catch up with the backlog of skills. In the interim, employers will outsource and find ways to permanently outsource. I always say, careful what you wish for. Go ahead cancel all H1B, all OPT, STEM OPT, H4EAD and see what happens in few years.
Well said. People doesn’t understand the complete picture. They assume there will be better life when they push out immigrants. They don’t understand how immigrants are contributing to this country’s growth.
H1 will not be canceled, as per Trump, one day, Real high skilled labor from all over the world will be replaced fake H1bs that fake resumes. Most of the H1Bs are from companies that run like 7 11 and work on 80%, 20%. And companies like Wipro or TCS that replace America workers, with NO MORALS will be abolished if they dont hire Americans.
H1B will not be cancelled but 60% of applications are being turned down. 47% of renewal applications are receiving massive RFE’s . 16% of those recieving H1B’s are getting visa rejections. Companies like us are being asked to demonstrate what actions we have taken to replace existing H1B with American Workers. H1B is supported to be a temporary stop gap arrangement to get foreign “guest” workers. H1B will not be cancelled and most on H1B (except very few super skilled ones) should prepare to go back home. We are replacing every one of our H1B with American workers.
Just wanted to know if H4-ead extension will be continued for existing EADs if they scrap the H4-ead program?
Nope, they still be valid until the expiry after revocation unless they cancel it which they wouldn’t because it attracts lot of law suits.
Extension is most likely not possible. Existing EADs will have sunset clause, but, anytime you renew or extend, it will get cancelled there.
I am deeply saddened by this state of affairs.
I have been a benefactor of H4 EAD, after lawfully migrating to the US.
My spouse has spent 12 years, got his degree here, and we have lawfully paid taxes.
After getting my EAD, I got my career back on track, and I am also in important projects.
Yes, I know I am replaceable, but this will be a huge blow to my employer.
Has anyone thought of next steps and alternate routes?
I would say do not worry for the time being.
Agreed there are speculation of a proposal doing the rounds, but I would be careful in taking any drastic step now. H4EAD took some time to be implemented as it went through a lot of processes.
So cancelling it wont be so quick, if it happens.
So whoever has H4EAD or are planning to apply or extend, just do the the processes.
Most important here is that you and others who have started to work should keep working and have back up plans, in case this happens.
So relax, keep doing what you are supposed to be doing, dont fret on something which has not yet been announced (officially) or implemented.
Good luck.
DHS gets till 02 Jan 2018 to file their brief. Latest update
What does this mean for the community?
What conclusion can you draw from this action of both the DHS requesting more time and the court not granting more time ?
Does it mean the other party wins the case – i.e. SaveJobsUSA is successful in cancelling H4EAD rule going forward?
Please share your comments.
This means H4 EAD is definately gone. Search online and you will find news information on the fall unified agenda in which H4 EAD revocation will be released. They can do it in two ways. One is they can released a proposed rule anytime, even tommorow, then add it to the unified agenda. second is that they can h4ead under pre-rule making and start the process next year. H4EAD is gone. Prepare for that eventuality. My wife has moved to F-1 Visa in a Masters Program while my job is safe for now. I think everyone should do the same who have the financial resources.
for which community ? Are we talking about Indian Casts … H4 EAD will be abolished in few months and EADs will move back to H4 or H1 back again. mostly H4. And i bet none of them belong in IT Community with their fake resumes.
You may want to read this. It provides good analysis why H4 EAD will be cancelled
I am an H4 EAD holder and I can attest that I got a job in spite of having a 4-year gap in my resume.
I didn’t fake my resume, nor did I get the help of shady consultancies.
The statement is verified by the 4-year gap, because I did not want to fake experience to get H1B.
With a lot of struggle, I was able to restart my career, with good results.
I shudder to think of going back to the previous state. I don’t know how I am going to present to my current employer if the situation changes.
The employer has invested a lot in my career, and it will be heartbreaking for me to have to leave my job because of a political move.
This is the exact same case with my wife. I will be more heartbroken than her if the DHS does not uphold their own ruling which was due since so many years.
you will be heartbroken for missing Double Income ???
Don’t look everything in financial prospective. Think about eligible candidates who are sitting in home ruining their career for family ties and uneven immigration rules. Career gives them a stability, confidence & discipline in life.
USA Government is not responsible for spouses stating at home. If they need a Career, They can apply VISA
This is not Political move , Trump is trying to Save Jobs for American just like any indian leader.
My wife has gone through the same trouble. She finally got a good job and she is doing well. If H4EAD is canceled, then i am going back India . Prefer that we both have good careers rather than be desperate and live and sacrifice so much. Not a word in our resume is fake. System sucks.
As a backup option, explore jobs in Canada. With US experience it might not be difficult to get a offer from Canada or check if you employer can transfer to Canada. ‘Offer’=’Visa’ there. Also, if you have saved some money you can apply Investor PR in Canada, you need to invest very less for that. Somebody told me 200K Canadian $. Explore it.
Does USCIS or DHS really knows many are misusing H4 EAD’s.
I know H1B approvals are getting tighter day by day. Everyone is behind H1B but at the same time H4 EAD people are coming to IT field with fake experiences and educational certifications. Both are working at the same field, they why H4 EAD’s are like free of background checks by USCIS? I saw some one saying consultancy will make sure H4 EAD’s are genuinely experienced. If that’s the case they will make the same validated with H1 B too right?..Now many fake candidates are in IT market just because of H4 EAD. No doubt about that.
Don;t generalize things.. We all know the fact majority of consultants on H1 & OPT are fake. That’s the reason H1;s are getting screwed up anf not H4’s. Less than 10% of H4 are into IT. I hired couple of candidates on H4 and they left the gap in the resume of 3-4 yrs unlike 2 H1’s and 1 OPT guy which we fired, because they kept fake resume. We want honest people in our team but not fake exp people like u. That doesn;t mean that all H1’s are OPT’s are fakes. Generalizing is one of the worst thing that majority of Indians have. To be more raw nature , just because you are born in an area where it;s know for prostitution doesn;t make you a prostitute. If you think so, think the same for this. It’s upto ur talent and skills that lands you a good job. If u are such talented enough, you should have got a FT. I bet that either u r an OPT or H1 fake exp candidate who can;t compete but rather cry on others!! So just get out of this country and shout somewhere else.
very true sir. Supporting you does not mean, i am against H4 EAD, But people among us only fool the govt and take wrong advantage. I see people having No IT background working in IT earning $40/hour. That is really saddening and not what anyone wants. Be honest with you and govt and country you are living in. There are other things that you can be good at. Try other things too. Getting into an IT job is not only thing.
At the end of the day EAD is EAD. No restrictions!! Remember that!!
It’s same as DACA EAD. WHy don;t you guys ask about it? EAD means work permit. You can work anywhere!! Background check is same for everyone.. No one discriminates it based on H1 or H4. They follow the same practices as any visa. Except for very very few consulting positions, no one is accepting H4 EAD’s.
The amount of scrutiny for H4 is far less than H1. Whether you agree it or not. THAT IS THE FACT. Do you think people who genuinely did their Masters here spending Lakhs bagged a Full time and could not get a H1 because of a f***ing lottery are ill fated than people who know they would be without job and decided to marry a H1 person and come to US and make use of this shortcut to Work at Malls and Grocery shops? And coming to your point on BG. Where is the skillset validation, Occupation validation, Educational Eval, Education to type of work validation done just as how it is done with H1 and OPT. Whoever you’re try to be in shoes of a H1 or OPT candidate and then talk. My wife herself did her masters here and I have a GC. I wont encourage her to go on H4 because of this shit. How much ever you support H4 is not as scrutinized as H1/OPT and that is the FACT. Period.
Very true… There are many candidates on H4 EAD working presently in IT faking the resume. Many of them might not have a related computer degree. We all know that..But some people won’t agree..This will affect genuine people’s integrity also which they are not realizing. No one is against H4 EAD. But like some one asked, where are the validation process H4 EAD’s have to go through same like H1B holders? Why are they getting mad when some one say this is missing and is needed. It’s very pathetic that genuine people on H1B and H4 EAD has to suffer a lot because of H4 EAD misuse. It’s not that easy to get H1 B approvals.
I have been working in this country for the last 10 years on H1B(waiting for GC indefinitely… :D). These days, whenever I complete project and come to bench, I find it extremely difficult to get the next project. The vendors are paying just $50 for jobs worth $80 to $85 per hour. When I ask for reasons, they say that they have H4 candidates willing to work for rates as low as $40 to $45. The clients also prefer them, because they can hire them as full time. Finally, when these idiots come in for work, 90% of them fake their resume, and the rest of the team members have to work for them . It is high time that H4 EAD system has to be stopped! Hope government will do something about this!
Oh!! Here comes a fake exp guy.. Even I have 10 plus yrs experience (Real not fake like u) but I have moved on to FT 5 yrs back. In fact working as a consultant even after 10 yrs shows either u r incompetent or greedy for money or fake experience. On top of that even after working for 10 yrs as a consultant, you still beleive the vendors!! Lol !! First fundamental concept of EVC is it’s all shady business. Beleiving them is the biggest joke of the century. I had a stint as recruiter as well…Everthing what they say is fake and even the billing rates are fake (they mask it) and they started blaming on H4 EAD to get even more money into their pocket.. I only pity you because you don;t even how things go behind the curtains even after working as 10 yrs..May GOD have mercy on you. Because of people like you, vendors are taking additional 25$ per hr into their pocket..Less than 5% are into IT. Do some research before you speak crap!!
Post you Data Analysis results here. Who said <5% are into IT and show your data points before shouting here in the forum. You yourself said <10% are in IT earlier and now you said <5% Woah. Hold your horses dude. Why are you angry when ppl are talking about Fake H4s. Are you one of them too? I think you are and worried about moving to F1/H1 and like this shortcut rather. Good luck fellas. I wish this is removed and you guys will come and see the actual probs F1s and H1s face these times. Wish you bad luck
So true, Hail trump for canceling H4 EAD
Hi ,
I have applied for my H4 extension on 24th july 2017. Its still pending with USCIS. Then I applied for H4EAD on 5th sep 2017 again it still pending.
I want to know if my H4 ext is dependent on my my spouse h1b ( as he got RFE, which is been responded by his employer).
also can I expect my H4EAD to get approved earlier then H4 ext?
It depends on your husband’s H1B extension. Once H1B is approved, H4 would be approved and finally H4 EAD.
Hey Ram,
Can H4 can be put on premium processing?
H4 if applied alone cant be filed in premium processing.
Hello All,
Can you please give me an idea of H4EAD timeline.
Currently, I am in H1B valid till 2020. I am planning to apply for H4 and EAD (concurrently) in Deccember 2017 for H4 start date of Jan 2018.
Can you please give me an idea regarding the timeline for H4 approval and EAD card to get in hand?
My calculation below are based on current processing times, however, what I am not sure of is whether EAD processing start only after H4 is approved (when filed concurrently) or does EAD processing start concurrently with H4 processing.
Current processing time for USCIS site:
– For H4, I-539, Vermont – Feb 20, 2017 (9 months waiting)
– For H4EAD, I-765, Texs – June 1, 2017 (5 months waiting)
Based on this, timeline calculated below:
– H4 – August 2018 (9 months from now)
– EAD – Jan 2019 (5 months from H4 approval)
Is this realistic or correct ?
This is something based on facts available. If you are lucky you might get it earlier or sometimes later too. But Can I suggest an easier and faster approach? If your spouse is out of USA currently, she can get her H4 stamped and fly inside the country and apply H4 EAD which would be given in max of 90 days. If she is in USA and you are trying to apply COS, it is much easier to travel, get H4 stamping and then apply H4 EAD once back. Just thought you could reduce your wait time. Think and decide the best! Good luck!
Thanks Ram. That is an option which we have discussed that we will not pursue.
But coming back to the point above, it seems that any thing can happen. Since there is no standard trend of H4 approval timeline and EAD issue, receipt timeline.
So the only thing that can be done is, apply with proper paperwork and wait and hope for expedited positive result.
Thanks once again.
yes exactly. Good luck! Hope you get your approval soon.
When USCIS approved H4 EAD, they are not scrutnizing anything to make sure that candidate is eligible for IT job. When a consulting agency recruits them or hires them, it’s their sole responsibilty to check their prior experiences they put in the resume are genuine or not. Because the consulting companies are not doing that,l a lot of fake candidates are already working in IT. Think about H1 B candidates, Most of them have genuine experience and computer related or engineering degree and suffering the most for getting the petitions approved. But H4 EAd is the greatest loophole existing now to enter IT easily. Some actions should be made to stop this happen.Genuine people should get the job they deserve.
It looks like u don;t have even basic knowledge of H1B. You should know that more than 50% of H1B’s are fake …Working in IT for the past 15 yrs, I have seen only fake resumes for contract positions. We received only 2 genuine out of 200 resumes we received after we asked our vendor for DL & H1B copy. Don;t come to conclusions without knowing facts and figures. Majority of genuine H1B;s are FT. H4 EAD is similar to DACA EAD, u can do whatever u want and u can’t question it. It’s not OPT EAD where u can work in only STEM field. I have seen so many people like you in my career where they blame others as that;s the easiest thing they can do. AMerica doesn;t deserve or need people like u. U can go back and start working in your home country where there is more place for people like you and blame each other. We all come to US to have good life . Stop blaming and concentrate on how to get a job and not curse your fellow H4’s. You should also remember that because of people like u, H1B immigrants from India condition is so bad, because you don;t support each other. Learn from DACA people , see how united they are , They all fight for one common cause while people like u fight with each other…
Can’t agree more, most H1Bs having skills are full time associates. The struggles who can’t cope & learn will keep moving from one client to another and blame whoever they fell are a threat to their prospects for new consulting job opportunities. There are countless talented people on H4 EAD who choose to go the EAD route to be independent of green card hassles and to not get stuck with a useless body shopping firm for eternity in the hope of a green card.
My query to all pessimists, why do you think you are being bounced from one company to another perpetually? Think deep, is it the skills or the hundred thousand excuses?
At a minimum, I’m expecting people who can form a proper article to reply! Just don’t remorse me for spending few minutes to think about & write this!
There are various reasons for people who are on H1B not an FTE for a client. Sometimes they work in the client location and eventhough client wants them to give FT, but might be due to the reason that they don’t offer sponsorships, H1 people has to continue as contractors. There will be other valid resons also. So don’t just assume things.
For H1 B approvals we need to show all the documents related to work experience, client letters, SOW , and the list goes on. I have the strong suggestion and wish that if an H1 B or H4 EAD is not genuine they need to be reported or shouldn’t be encouraged to continue on what they are doing. When H4 EAD can work anywhere, it doesn’t mean that places like IT where you need skilled people and related education qualifications , they can just add what they want to the resume and get in to IT. Unfortunately we are seeing a lot of H4 EAD people in the market ready to work for very very low wages to enter IT field.
Once you have H1B and you get a good offer or full time employment all you need to do is file for H1B transfer.No kind of sponsorship is involved in this.Only your skills and abilities are stopping you from getting a FT.How can you assume that all H4 eads are fake? There are also other kind of Eads such as L2 and some J visas too, they are doing just fine.If they are fake how can they survive in such competitive industry? The government has given the opportunity for them to utilize their abilities its up to the employers to figure out if they are fake or not.As some one has mentioned here its not that hard to filter out fake resumes.They can do it they care.So breathe easy and let all live.
I think when H4 EAD’s attempt for skilled jobs like in IT or where related education and experience matters, there should be made some provisions to get additional paperworks to be done or approved from USCIS to ensure they are genuine exactly the same H1 people are going through. There are ‘n’ number of H4 EAD’s in market now and most of them are aiming for IT related jobs. I don’t believe H4 EAD is count is less like L2’s or J visas. Is there any wage determination or anything like that for H4 EAD to determine if they are working at the standard rate like H1 B people? I belive NO. In my opinion that’s a big loophole. No one is saying to stop H4 EAD. But should be scrutnized when they come to skilled jobs.
Well Said..
You are real frustrated as your name suggests. Don’t blame H4 EAD for your frustration, blame yourself. Improve on your skills to get a job rather than putting the blame on others. There are N number of EAD categories and everyone has the right to work, that includes DACA, H4 and even refugees. The companies who are hiring will find out who is fake and who is not and not you or government. Does government checks the Greencard holder or Citizens if they have fake experiences ? No, government does not get into that business. If the competition is getting stiff that means either there are less jobs or there are more skilled people in the market to take up the job. Improve your skills and move on………just Chill !!
well Said…
very well said SB.. 100 % agree with you .. same what Ram said.. So clean, honest and clear thinking you have.
This frustrated guy will stay frustrated forever, if he wont change himself soon.
Dont worry!! I bet These guys will be going back once HR 170 is passed.
Let employers decide who they wan to hire. They are paying salary not you. H4 EAD is as good as Green Card temporarily, You can do what ever you want, gov is not validating your skill or exp. If I am an employer, I interviewed, person seemed good, is working fine for me. I am fine, I would not need a third person like you to guide me on whom to hire. If I get them cheaper, they do my work, they are best. Why do I need to hire a overqualified person for a easy job. Also, H4 EAD is only after GC approval of spouse. So, ideally that person should have got GC. Just because he/she is from India where wait times are high this thing is dragging so long. So, at least there is a H4 EAD to compensate. Note** Me and my spouse are not on H4 EAD. So, we are not benefited. But I am happy for others.
Wow..JK…People like you should be more in numbers… i was so upset reading some comments
I believe you are just frustrated because you or your friends/family didn’t get a job in the USA. you should understand how much value it is to have H4 EAD in place for everyone. Don’t just think about yourself as selfish, try to encourage everyone. Do you guarantee that stopping H4 EAD will stop filling in with fake experience IT professionals? If you stop concentrating on others status/jobs and try searching for a job yourself you would definitely get a job for sure. Stop talking with half knowledge, your posts doesn’t do any good, rather it destroys the benefits we currently get. Read daily news and gain some knowledge. Else still you can’t understand that having H4 EAD is for our good, then you better go back and do some other work, rather than the IT. It suits you. you are not a person that can fit in here.
Why there are not possible actions to prevent H4 EAD’s who are not really qualified( doesn’t have 4 year Computer related degree or not have valid professional experience) landing in IT fields in US? Do you think this will happen in India. In India there are different levels of background checks and verifications( joining, relieveing letters,paystubs) before we join an IT company. But in US this is not happening. Whoever is getting H4 EAD is landing in to IT . This shouldn’t be encouraged. If we know some one who is working like this, they should be reported to USCIS. Because a lot of H4 EAD ladies misused this, now there are lot of restrictions on H1B., who are really genuine people. When USCIS grant H1B approvals, those will be either have MS degree in US or have relevant IT work experience. Think about people in H4 EAD coming in to IT. No one is verifiying anything for them, They will get in touch with a consultance and directly come to IT. Consultancies should check the certificates or paystubs or offer letters from previous companies if the candidate says they have this many years of work experience,
There are various reasons for people who are on H1B not an FTE for a client. Sometimes they work in the client location and eventhough client wants them to give FT, but might be due to the reason that they don’t offer sponsorships, H1 people has to continue as contractors. There will be other valid resons also. So don’t just assume things.
For H1 B approvals we need to show all the documents related to work experience, client letters, SOW , and the list goes on. I have the strong suggestion and wish that if an H1 B or H4 EAD is not genuine they need to be reported or shouldn’t be encouraged to continue on what they are doing. When H4 EAD can work anywhere, it doesn’t mean that places like IT where you need skilled people and related education qualifications , they can just add what they want to the resume and get in to IT. Unfortunately we are seeing a lot of H4 EAD people in the market ready to work for very very low wages to enter IT field.
As per your comments, you are saying action should be taken against H4 EAD. only one question comes to you is why should genuine H4 EAD people sit idle at home. what if they are talented and why they should not be in compete with every H1B. so don’t just blame entire H4 EAD people as if only few people are allowed to work and remaining are not. who told you that H4 EAD are not getting background verified. Are you part of any background check companies. Do go and check outside how the background checks are strong enough to identify who are genuine and who are not.
In India people with BSc, Mechanical,Electrical,Electronics,Civil and all other engineering backgrounds join IT when they don’t find a job in their respective field. Should we ban all of them???
Are they doing something to scrutnize H4 EAD people. Many H4 EADs are working in IT with out any experience and education background. This scrutiny should be made on H4 EAD making sure that people who are really experienced and educated are doing the work in IT. Actually they made all the chaos realted to the feeeling of American jobs are taking away.
Most of the house wife is a junior developer working in high tech company, they are stealing our kids’ job, lowering the whole IT industry’s wage, hurting our economic. H4 EAD has to be revoked.
I won’t say H4 EAD should be revoked. As there are genuine and skilled people there. Companies should do a better job while selecting H4 EAd candidates cross check their experiences are valid or fake. Many are already in IT industry with fake experiences. Who ever joined with in the past 2 years in H4 EAD, ofcourse there are genuine people but majority of them are not genuine. When USCIS grant them H4 EAD, it’s not for working as a junior dev or QA in IT, many of the H4 EADs are thinking like that.
I am Architect on H4 EAD and have been working through that. It’s really unfair and judgemental to say that it has to be revoked just because few people in IT industry are misusing it.
I’m so grateful that i finally got the opportunity to work and support myself !
I would also like to know what happens if it is revoked ?
1- Would our current EAD end abruptly
2- or would it be valid until it expires
3- or would we be able to extend it until we get the green card, for the people who are already on it?
@Mira-Not all of us are misusing the H4EAD. Most of us are pretty qualified with prior work experience and have taken the necessary steps like masters, certifications to make us qualified enough to do the job, and the fact that we are still on the job, getting promotions prove that we can pretty much compete with anybody in the job market. So stop generalising. I agree that H4EAD rules should be tightened but completely eliminating it because of a really silly generalization is no good. Why should we suffer the collateral damage … we put our best feet forward at work, bring revenues to the company and even pay taxes like any other law abiding citizen! We are helping develop the economy.
Don’t you think your kid’s should become more competitive, so that no one will steal any job from them. H4 EAD people also worked hard to get a job for their living. Revoking H4EAD won’t do any good for your kids. Competition exists everywhere.
I would like to follow this thread for my spouse.
If they revoke, will they allow us to work until it expires so that we can have a shot at H1B 1 or 2 times or will they end it abruptly>?
Well Said
Hi,
I am on H1 and my company started my PERM (recruitment ended and about to file PERM application) process and I got promoted now within same department without change in job duties, do you think PERM should be starting all over again, or its fine to continue since my job duties remain same.
Thanks,
MNFS
PP for all H-1B Petitions resumed:
https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/premium-processing-now-available-all-petitioners-seeking-h-1b-visas
Can i still expect my EAD…i applied on 5th sep2017
Of course, it will be processed and would be issued if all the documents you have submitted is right and genuine
How long will it take to get EAD..mine is Vermont center
Hi Shivani,
what is the status of your EAD?
DHS has now requested the appeals Court to hold the H-4 EAD case in abeyance AGAIN through December 31, 2017, to permit it to complete the review mandated by Executive Order 13,788
Source please ? I could not find it anywhere.
Thank you.
To make sure all are on same page, the source of the documents for are available on the Courts website, but they require free registration of account and only individual have to login and view the documents. They are not supposed to be posted publicly unless it is a published opinion by court. Hence, we are not posting any documents here as source.
While other sites like perchingtree have posted such documents, it is violation of court policy to publish such documents without court permission. If you noticed, none of the attorney’s like murthy.com, immigrationgirl, etc. have not published any such documents or linked because they are not allowed by court.
Court filings are fair use document and you can read more about it here. http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2014/07/republishing-litigation-brief-is-fair-use-white-v-westlaw.htm
Please cite the court policy that prohibits publishing of litigation briefs. Do not provide wrong information to your readers.
Can i still expect my EAD…i applied on 5th sep2017
Shivani, if you have already applied for H4 EAD or even if you want to apply for it now USCIS will honor it and give you a new EAD card based on H1b validity or at least for 1 year, whichever is earlier. There is no change until H4 EAD is revoked by the Judiciary. Also, it will not be abruptly stopped. They will give sometime to review the Bill like they are doing it for DACA bill.
I am guessing if the court takes the decision to revoke after Dec. 31st, H4 EAD workers can still work for until another 6 months or till there EAD expires. So, nothing to worry on immediate basis but as the article mentions you can plan for a backup .
News just came in DHS will keep H4 EAD and will not cancel it. Great news for all. Hurray
Where did you read this news?
This seems like fake news. DHS has not yet filed their motion or announced anything.
@Karthik – some how it looks like you really want the EAD to be cancelled. All your comments are inclined towards that.
Check latest filing report today. H4EAD will not be cancelled and will continue for another 18 months. Congress must pass the Raise Act. To all the naysayers, this proves that H4 EAD is here to stay.
What is the source of this news
Where is the source
Can you please tell where to check the latest filling report
How did you know
I am a lawyer and fair use of public documents and court filings are allowed. However, you cannot use for them profit. If the filing parts requests for their filings to be be sealed, then, they are sealed and cannot be published in public domain.
Heard today from a friend that DHS has filed a motion today 20 Sep on this case. Does any one know what is in the motion. Are they keeping H4EAD or revoking it.
Nothing much happened today. The briefing has been postponed to 27th Sep 2017.
Okie thank you.
Is there a court link where I can track this case ? Everyone except me seems to knowing more about this case. Thank you in advance.
Nothing official. Just getting to know about in different sites every time.
I heard today that DHS has filed its response to the H4 EAD court order planning to revoke all Executive Orders STEM OPT, H4 EAD and DACA. Does anyone know if this is true.
I don’t see any such update on any site until now.
It is not on any site but a lawyer told me. He confirmed it today that a motion has been filed.
Did He specify what they have filed? Is it totally revoke or changes?
Hello everyone. Is there any update on the court case of H4 EAD. Does anyone has any latest status.
HI,
Just came in US on H1B, its valid upto 1SPe19. My wife is coming on H4 dependent visa. She has completed her BE and having 1 year exp. Will they allow her to work.
If your Green card process is initiated and you have your i140 is approved, then she would be eligible for H4 EAD after which she can work. If not, she is not authorized to work here on H4. However if interested she can pursue higher education here.
My daughter was on student visa and done her masters in finance.Aafter finished her masters she did not get approval of lottery H1b visa.so she went on dependent visa.This year she was selected in Luckydraw but again USCIS send RFE that your qualifications are not match with your salary
So please give me suggestions what to answer
As my daughter ‘s education qualification….CA,CPA,MS in Finance,CFA 1st level
Bina,
You need to work with the attorney and there is no blanket answer. Your immigration attorney who filed the petition would be the best person to advise and take care of the situation.
Moderator/ Saurabh,
Sunday 27SEP17 is approaching.
Are you or any one aware of what is happening or going to happen to the H4-EAD court case?
The link shows that no new filing has been done after 23 June. Any idea if this will be revoked and if yes, will it be revoked using an EO or through the courts.
Hi Saurabh,
I have been in US for 2 months on H4 and i have 7 years of IT experience. I am looking forward to continue my career in US with employment authorisation.
Could you please suggest either good to apply for H4 EAD or F1(student VISA) or my spouse can sponser for my H1B?
Spouse sponser H1, whats that? is your spouse an employer and running a company?
I currently have H4 EAD and doing my Masters now. As I’m planning to graduate in this Fall’17, I’m in dilemma if I should apply for F1 student visa (through change of status) to be in a safer side as the future of H4 EAD is unclear.
What would you recommend in this situation? Should I stay in H4 EAD or convert to F1? Also I’m not sure how long would it take for the change of status to get approved.
Please let me know your inputs.
KARTHIKA RUKMANI RAJASEKARAN,
I would say move to F-1 and get OPT. If H-1 doesn’t work out and H-4 EAD is still intact, then you can always fallback on this.
Hello,
My situation is as below:
– Have valid H1B for till 2019
– Want to apply for H4 (with intention of applying for EAD eventually)
Question:
– Can I continue to work in my H1B, after my H4 is approved and (applied for and) waiting for H4-EAD to come in hand ?
Thank you and I appreciate all your help and response in this case.
H1B to H4.,
I would suggest to apply for H-4 COS and EAD together. This way they would be approved together. So you can work on H-1 until H-4 COS is approved, and then start working on H-4 EAD.
Hi Saurabh,
Is it a wise decision to change from H1 to H4EAD in this situtation. If the H4EAD is revoked in future. Can we flip back to H1B again.
That is a good question and I have thought about it as well.
A follow up question from me will be – Do I have to go through the lottery again if I want to apply for H1B later (again) after I have switched from H1B to H4EAD ?
Anusha and H1B TO H4EAD,
If you had H-1B previously and then move to H4 (w/ or w/o EAD), you can move to H-1B w/o going through the lottery. You will be considered cap-exempted and any employer can file H-1B petition for you anytime w/o worrying about the lottery/cap.
Hi
I am on H4 Ead .I did not take away any american job .I am applying to Jobs which match my profile and giving interviews with americans .Although hard luck till now.You cannot tell all Indians fake their resumes
HI,
KINDLY NEED HELP…!
I am on H4 , last year i had applied for H1B and picked in lottery but still waiting for approval. Its been a year now waiting to it don’t know whether it will get approved or not.??this year my spouse’s H1B is eligible to applying H4 EAD.
So as back up I wanted to know can I apply for H4 EAD while I have applied H1B? Whether it will create any problem my status?
Thank you..?
HT,
You can apply for H-4 EAD. If H-1 gets approved w/ COS, then EAD would be declined. If H-1 is denied, then EAD would become the back-up.
On one side you think that H4 EAD holders are taking away jobs of skilled Americans and on the other side you say that H4 EAD fake their experience and have no skills. So that means even with no skills and expertise , they take away high skilled jobs. What a joke !! Just use your brains and think before putting your views forward.
If a american is so skilled then no H4 EAD holder can take away his/her job. It is just impossible to survive on high skilled jobs by faking skills and no experience in this fast paced world. One should not snatch the basic right of a person to work.
Have faith in yourself and compete with whatever comes . Taking away the right to work from some one is not a solution. I SUPPORT H4 EAD !!
Just go to indeed or any jobs site and look for IT jobs. There are tons of them out there. They don’t get filled for weeks and months due to lack of talent. These jobs then get shipped out to Romania, India, France and other European countries. That is loss of tax revenue in the US. Same holds for H4 EAD. It all sounds good when people get angry and say let’s keep the jobs. Companies work on deadlines and have to keep the shareholders happy. The ideal state would be to tighten the regulations and have an orderly process. Let’s not waste jobs and discourage companies in the name of nationalism. IT is a multi billion dollar industry in the US due to Americans and immigrants working together.
Remove H4 EAD asap. 99% of them are not qualified, sitting at home and trying to learn something by using VPN on their H1 Spouse’s work computer.
Go back if you don’t want to deal with this.
such generalizations….you speak from experience surely!
How can you generalize? Why do you think all H4 are always not qualified? I have 10 years of IT exp and I hold H4 EAD as well. Mine and my husband’s technologies and line of work are totally different. I can do nothing with his VPN.
I don’t know with what level of knowledge you are talking with? I think one has to be sensible in writing the statements. You are nobody to decide who has to go and come. Everyone are capable enough to handle such matters when they have gone to the level of getting H4 to their spouse. You can mind such matters at your family level.
Appreciate your reply …
Looks like you are speaking from your own experience.
Who are you to tell someone to go back !! If someone is not qualified, how can he/she snatch a job from a well qualified person ? Think before you speak !! And If you have so much trouble then you pack your bags and move out as you are the one who is not able to deal with it !!
I mean really. your name says “Jaya” must be indian and look at your words , seems like you will kill everyone if given a chance. Everybody has the right to work. No body is stealing jobs or opportunities. what you gonna do with this much hatred for your own people. I feel pity on you miss “Jaya”. Really so shameful
Its employer judgement to decide who is qualified and who is not. Doesn’t matter if somebody learned from spouse’s computer. If you have learned it properly and can deliver to keep employer satisfied, its good enough. It seems like you studied some course in USA from some below average college and see H4 EAD folks as a competition for you. H4 EAD is 100% justified until the country cap is removed from green-card. Just because Indian’s have to wait so long for green card, the people on H1/H4 keep piling up. Please note that me or my spouse both are on H1, but we feel positive for H4 EAD. Also, how can you be so gender specific even men can be on H4.
Jeez another generalization!
all the ***** here talking about banning h4 eads have no idea what a h1b has to go thorough to survive in this economy with spouse and children’s, on one person’s salary. when you will be in their shoes then will talk about it.
and the lawsuit filed by the savejobusa is total bullshit now data to support read the case. how can they say h4 ead is taking their jobs meaning bunch of sposues are able to over throw all these talented american IT workers that means they are really not that talented and have their jobs because of no competition and just by being us citizens crybabies.
You are not entitled to anything. If its so hard, why even started in the US! Cribbing crybaby..
No mention of the word “Lottery”… Interesting!
Hi
I have a question. I have applied for h4 ead renewal which will be valid till 2020. My question is, if h4 ead gets revoked in future, will I able to continue working with my current approved ead till it expires. I hope the future renewals will be stopped. Please clarify. Will rules apply retroactively?
Sadhana,
It all comes down to how the administration decides to roll back H-4 EAD (in case that’s their final decision). My best guess is they would let current EADs in place until their expiration date and not provide anymore EAD renewal/approval. We will have to wait for the administration to provide more guidance on this.
Time to leave this country if this happens. It’s better to have two salaries in any other country including India vs having to depend on one here and live a sub par life of slavery until you get your GC (15 yrs wait time lol).
go ahead, it will be great for all parties 🙂
What i fail to understand is why the H4 ead is getting so much attention when the dependents of other visa categories like L1 have had the work authorization for so long…why is there no outcry for that. H4 ead is for the dependents of future citizenz of this country and not temporary work force because it is granted only to those that have the 140 approved. Also, the notion that it only adds cheap labor is ridiculous as I know so many people with spouses who have years of experience and masters degrees that are now able to work and add to US economy.
Because l2 is temporary, while h4 is forever depending on GC backlog.
H1 can change job. But l1 cannot
I am an american and I work in IT industry for 20 years now
Although I am not opposed to H1b people, I have really bad experience about certain H1b people ( they call them Telugu or something).
All they do is make fake resumes, and get jobs that they are not qualified for
I already know some and have yesterday reported 8 of them to USCIS
I advise you to do that too
Regarding H4 EAD- its a basic right to get work permit when you have GC in progress
@Joanne
first of all, you are faking your identity and claiming here as an American, what a joke that you are reporting to USCIS about fake resumes
No American citizen will waste time to visit Redbus2us and post shitty things
@Notanamerican There is nothing wrong with what Joanne wrote. I am on H1B and I know lot of Telugu folks with fake resumes and fake experience and even a false immigration status, working in the IT industry. These people bring bad name to the already infamous H1B and should be reported. Also, no need to be butthurt over her comments, seems like you are one of those fake Telugu shameless idiot.
I agree there are a lot of BS IT consultants floating around but not restricted to Telegu (although perhaps the majority) or one community but across the board comprising Indians, Chinese, Russians, etc.. They need to be weeded out..the majority of them have little to no expert skills or communication skills for that matter and such jobs are best outsourced, There’s no value to having these people work in the US on H1s rather than having them perform their routine tasks sitting in India.
And yes they do give H1s, the IT industry and Indian IT workers a bad name in general…
I also agree with Joanne , I also seen in USA some fake telgu guys are taking advantage of H1 B Visa. Neither they have qualification nor experience. They shown fake high experience and get jobs easily. Just because of these people bad name spread for everyone who even are real, qualified and deserving.
Perfectly said. Yes it’s 200% truth
US has 45 lakh Indians, out of which 6.5 lakh are Telugu = 14.4% of Indian Immigrants are Telugu
India’s population is 130 crore, out of which 8.5 crore are Indians (highest south Indian language) = 6.5 % of Indians are Telugu
Engineering graduates in US per year = 1 lakh in US
Engineering graduates in India per year = 15 lakhs in India
Engineers/ computer related of by language:
Telugu: 3 lakhs to 3.5 lakhs
Tamil: 2 lakh
Kannada: 1 lakh
In Andhra there are two options, Engineer or Doctor, all other professions are very minority. so, they go all over to graduate engineering in all other states possible. The Telugu number is always high, even in IITs/ BITS/ etc..
Indian state wise:
State—————->No.of Colleges of any type
Andhra (Telugu)–> 5200 (20 lakh students) 95% of them are Telugu
Karnataka ——–> 3600 (13 lakh students) 20% of them are Telugu
Tamil Nadu ——-> 2500 (18 lakh students) 10 % of them are from Telugu
so, looking at a brief states above, one must understand,
Most of Engineers in India are Telugu at par with any others.
Most of the IT jobs/ visa are for Telugu’s, whats wrong in it.
Hyderabad has most of the Software training Institutes than any other place in the “World”, can you believe this? and that place is called, “Ameerpet”, where many people from other states/ countries come here to learn Software hands on. and so..on..
Telugu community is bigger than many Nations:
Japan = 12.5 crore
Telugu = 8.5 crores
Germany = 8 crore
UK = 6.5 crore
France = 6.4 crores
Italy = 5.9 crore
Canada = 3.6 crore
Australia = 2.5 crore
Spain = 4.6 crore
Now tell me, why do you think a State that produces more engineers have its relative share in H1B too. Engineering education is the main graduation of Telugu people. we cant avoid it.
Dont be racist on any one community, learn the stats before pointing some one. I am not Telugu, I am Kannadiga. Telugites are our younger brothers. We love them. Telugu people are very friendly, I have very good Telugu friends. Yes they are more in IT, but they are good.
I don’t get admission in my entire state, I found many Engineering colleges in South offers low level percentage too for get degree as an engineer. That’s insane. But I cleared as an engineer from Bengaluru also found many are from my state who didn’t get admission in any engineering colleges in local state universities they all mostly are there. That’s why you guys have just engineers without brain. like me. I am now not working as engineer what I studied in southern university. I changed my field, now on GC thank God.
Joanne Hi,
H-4EAD- will they get Green card more quicker than H1B’s?
This site is providing us with lot of useful information which might be helpful in the coming days..thank u
Where is the proof that Trump administration filed any motion, I don’t see this news in US media? Why are you confusing peoples?!!!
Good.. Fake news mania is going on around the world.
Aswini, Suprabhath
Do you trust Murthy.com or do you think they also spread fake news. Here is what they mentioned about this filing.
Or you can read the article on a new site like CNN here (but then some have labeled CNN as fake news).
Hello Saurabh and Admin,
Ok, the DOJ has extended time frame for the DHS to decide upon the rule. I do trust Murthy.com and you are absolutely right about CNN. Thanks for your clarification! Please accept my apologies.
Aswini,
No worries.
When compared to more than 155 Million people in workforce, percentage of H4 EAD workers is very less, roughly 100-130K. The lawsuit makes no sense because
1. These H4 EAD workers are not all in IT, some are doing business, research and several other fields
2. These H4 EAD workers are not all at one location to be impacting job search
3. DHS does have authority to make decisions for employment, that is reason whole rule making process was followed and there were more positive comments than negative
4. A small percentage of H4 applicants are eligible for this employment authorization, NOT all, H1 petitioner should have I-140 approved or applied past year.
Hi Saurabh,
Lets say, A person is holding valid H1B stamped visa(Selected in 2015 H1B lottery) but due to some reason that person could not traveled and his/her visa got expired last year(Oct 2016). Now company again filled an amendment with extension (As earlier it was for another location) in PP (USCIS acknowledged the case on 29th march).
Does this latest news about H1B is going to affect those candidates as well?
I pray that the H4 EAD rule to go off as already thousands of talented professionals are waiting for their first opportunity. This is the only reason I like Trump and the administration! I don’t know why they want to wait for 6 more months….
Well, your premise is incorrect on several levels. H4-EADs are not not talented. I have 12+ years of experience and switched to H4-EAD.
I support H-4 EADs but I hate the fact that they are faking their experience and knowledge. A person who has just graduated is able to compete with people like you who are having 12 years of experience by changing some terms on their resume.
H1b is a very specific job requirement, and on the other hand H4 EAD can pick up any job, right from school teacher to Walmart clerk to starting their own company. If you are H1B Aspirant then there is no impact on that.
I pray that you never get H1B. Only the talented people should get it which includes H4 people who have valid skill set and good experience.
If you think an H4 EAD holder (a person who might have had a break for couple of years) can cause you your job , then you don’t belong to the ‘highly skilled’ criteria to apply for H1. And also what if they decide to apply for H1? Dosent it mean more number of people and lottery and you loose a chance . I hope that you will still ‘like’ Trump administration when they bring in H1 B reforms .
Some ignorant comments by ignorant trump supporters here…obsessed with ‘liking’ him and dismissing the truth as ‘fake news’. I hope he does something in your favor but so far he’s made it very clear- reduce or cut H1s and limit legal immigration.
H1-B Aspirants wants H4 EAD to go off and few Americans want H1-B to go off, we all need less competition, ain’t it?
Compared to other visas, the H1-B visas and student visas are a lot abused. Instead banning the EAD, the DHS should streamline the work visas so that it cannot be abused. They should also consider abolishing dependent visas for anyone above 21 or so and live in US should be free to work – it is known to be a free country after all.
Freedom to work is a basic human right and it shouldn’t be snatched.
To the abusers, and fake resume – remember what goes around comes around – have some integrity for self and the country.
@H1BAspirant2018.. dont worry you will be the first pray of Trump administration when new H1B rule comes out. I like trump administration too.. Lol
Well, sounds like u should get out of the country first. It is PREY, NOT PRAY!!!!
You people really think H4 EADs work in Walmart. Just got wifes H4 EAD approved last week. She has double masters degree and is currently CEO and Founder of a company funded by American investors. Already have two Americans employed and creating more jobs in USA with three other positions currently open.
H1B Aspirant 2018 : Looks like you still need to go for H1B lottery. So, seem frustrated. You seem very talented, why dont you just apply for O visa which are unlimited rather than wishing bad for others (H4EAD aspirants). Why are so afraid from people who who don’t think competent? You want to win a race by ensuring that other don’t participate.