The goal is to acquire at least 100,000 signatures, which will force the Trump administration to respond.
The Trump administration’s attempt to end work permit for H4 visa holders has raised serious concerns amongst tens of thousands of H4 and H-1B visa holders. Ever since the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent a draft rule to the Office of Management and Budget last month, these visa holders have been attending rallies, visiting support groups and consulting with lawyers on what may be the next step for many who have gained employment through H4 EAD in the United States.
Late last month, a petition was launched on the White House website requesting the US government not to revoke the H4 EAD. The petition, titled “H4 EAD – Please do not revoke the H4 EAD policy,” was started by IT Pro Alliance, a non-profit trade group of information technology professionals across the United States.
Containing just 19 words, the petition says: “ITPro Alliance Petitions and requests the Government to Continue The H4-EAD’s. Please keep skilled workers at jobs. Thank you!”
RELATED: What’s next for H4 EAD holders? Congressional action may be the solution, say lawyers (February 27, 2019)
The new Jersey-based Alliance, which has chapters across the country, believes that the petition will compel authorities to take notice of the potential serious repercussions of scrapping the H4 EAD.
The right to petitioning the government is a right endowed on everyone in the country by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. On the White House web platform, “We the People” where anyone can create a petition online on any issue. One can then share it, and collect signatures. If 100,000 signatures are gathered in 30 days, the petition will be reviewed by the authorities and would make sure that the issue will be brought before the appropriate policy experts, mandating an official response.
By 1 pm EST on Monday, the petition, which was started on February 22, had received 39,149 signatures, meaning it would need nearly 61,000 more signatures to get an official response from the administration. “We are hopeful that if everyone understands and signs the petition we can get much more than 100,000 signatures, even to the tune of 300,000 to 600,000 if all the current, aspiring H4 EAD applicants as well as their spouses and those who have been through the H-1B to Green Card route, too, were to sign the petition,” Dan Nandan, an official of the IT Pro Alliance, told the American Bazaar.
However, Nandan said that many Indian H4 EAD holders are still cagey about giving out their names or email IDs, as they are fearful of retribution. “This irrational fear has led to many not coming ahead and signing the petition,” he said.
RELATED: The human face of H4 EAD: How fear, uncertainty taking emotional and financial toll on lives (February 23, 2019)
Asked how the American work force and the immigration process will be affected if the H4 EAD is revoked, Nandan said: “I believe the revoking of H4EAD may lead to a bigger mess. Already many of those who are on H4EAD are trying to apply for H1B to secure their jobs. Now, if most of the Indians on H4EAD were to do that, we would already have enough applicants who are currently in the US to apply for H1B thus curtailing the chance of any new Indians coming to the US.”
And this may not be the only impact, as experts also say that a lot of H4 EAD workers have also floated companies where they are employing US citizens. Once their work permits are revoked, those Americans would end up losing their jobs, too.
There is a widespread discontent amongst the H4 community and many feel that they are unfairly targeted. “H4EAD is a ray of hope for many,” Netra Chavan, who has been actively campaigning for rights of H-1B and H4 visa holders, told the American Bazaar. “Every immigrant organization is trying to save this rule. The petition is also an effort to save it and every non-immigrant Indian must sign it. The petition is on a government website and if it gets 200,000 signatures then it be more visible.”
Chavan added that the this country needs to understand that H4 EAD holders are hardly taking away any American jobs, contrary to popular perception. “H4EAD card is a boon for many H4 spouses and they are not competing with anyone but just trying to help themselves economically,” she said. “It’s unfair to take away the right to work from an able individual. Whether they choose to work or not should be their prerogative.”
Supporters also said that by taking away the work permit from H4 visa holders, the Trump administration may, in fact, further strain the American economy, as well as the immigration system. “For those who have been making an income on H4 EAD the removal would come as a bitter pill,” Nandan said. “Many of them have purchased assets such as houses and suddenly being on single income would create a financial dent for many families. We also anticipate that many of those affected may also look at then opting for a F1 visa that would allow them to work. Which would again create another mess in that category.”
Many supporters of H4 EAD argue that the number H4 visa holders who are working at the moment is miniscule. Not all H-1B spouses get the work permit and eventually those who do would be getting their Green Cards in a matter of few years. “We do not see more than 100,000 to 150,000 H4 EAD holders in America, every year,” said Nandan.
RELATED STORIES:
H4 visa-holders’ work authorization is under review: report (February 7, 2017)
H4 work authorization may be next on Trump’s hit list, says Sheela Murthy (March 9, 2017)
H4 visa: a primer (updated March 9, 2017)
H-4 and H-1: Time for Indian immigrants to speak up on immigration policy, says author Amy Bhatt (January 5, 2019)
New bill proposes to let H-1B workers switch jobs, H4 visa holders to work, F-1 holders to apply for green card (September 14, 2018)
End of the road for H-4 EAD program? (April 24, 2018)
Trump administration may soon end H-4 Visa Rule: report (February 1, 2018)
Tech industry urges USCIS not to cancel H-4 spouses’ work permits (January 19, 2018)
Trump to end H-4 EAD program for spouses of H-1B workers (December 15, 2017)
Trump administration asks for more time on H4 work authorization (April 4, 2017)
Regulations on H-4 EAD program on cards; may even be terminated, says Murthy Law Firm (November 24, 2017)
H4 visa-holders’ work authorization is under review: report (February 7, 2017)
H-1B visa exhibition at the Smithsonian: of goddess who gives visa, to women on H4 status in shackles (November 24, 2015)
H4 visa holders start to get EAD work permits from USCIS (June 29, 2015)
Save Jobs USA petition to not issue work permits to H4 visa holders dismissed (May 27, 2015)
DHS starts to accept employment authorization applications from H4 visa holders(May 26, 2015)
COLUMN: Save Jobs USA’s civil complaint against DHS to stop H4 visa holders from getting EAD cards is discriminatory (May 22, 2015)
No work permits for H4 visa holders: lawsuit filed by Save Jobs USA (April 27, 2015)
H4 visa holders can start a business after getting EAD: Sheela Murthy (March 9, 2015)
458,177 H4 visas issued in 6 years between 2008-2013 (February 26, 2015)
COLUMN: EAD cards for H4 visa holders: USCIS needs to give it to all of them(February 24, 2015)
EAD cards for H4 visa holders: green cards better solution, says IEEE-USA (February 24, 2015)
H4 visa holders can apply for EAD cards beginning May 26, 2015 (February 24, 2015)
EAD cards to H4 visa holders: Immigration Voice lauds Barack Obama February 24, 2015
H4 visa: a primer (December 9, 2014)
Final rule on work permits for H4 visa holders by December 2014-January 2015(November 23, 2014)
COLUMN: Obama’s speech has not made anything clear for immigrants waiting for Green Cards, H4 visa holders hoping for work permit (November 21, 2014)
COLUMN: Agony for H4 visa holders, as Obama’s executive action delays work permits (November 21, 2014)
COLUMN: As Republicans take control of the Senate, dream of H4 visa holders to get work permits, expedited Green Cards, is over (November 5, 2014)
Work permits for H4 visa holders will end mental anguish for almost 100,000 spouses in the US (June 10, 2014)
Indian women on H4 visas eager to get back to work (May 8, 2014)
Many H4 visa holders will get work permits this year (May 7, 2014)
DHS proposes to allow limited number of H4 visa holders work permits (April 8, 2014)
For H4 visa holders from India, the X visa all-important (May 26, 2013)
BLOG: The H4 visa conundrum (April 21, 2013)
19 Comments
Please don’t Revoke H4EAD!!
It is not harmful to anyone, we are just set of educated people who need to work to add value to the economy, this economy. It is our time to pay back to this beautiful land and it has given food, clothes and shelter. We are lawful tax-paying educated workers. Thank You!!
Time to scrap ALL the non immigrant (NIV) and immigrant visas for people from India. They’ve been unfairly abusing the system for way too long. H1B and L1 visas should be abolished by the USCIS. No one needs these uneducated, poorly qualified coolies from Andra Pradesh. Go back, you’re not welcome here.
uneducated coolies? hold your tongue! who are you? a bastard from Orissa? The govt. does not run on your f**ing advice.You get lost and do a big favor !
Like an infestation you putrid scum are stealing American jobs. May you all rot in whatever form of hell you believe in…
A US corporation files for a Green Card for a legal alien. The Green Card application is not a one way street. It is mutually beneficial to both the Corporation and the legal alien.
The Green Card takes a hundred years to get. The legal aliens spouse cannot work for those hundred years. Hence the H4 EAD
Fix the 100 years problem or let the spouses work
Why don’t you guys just stop exploiting the H1b system and H4 visas. I work for a social networking company in Bay area and I have myself seen a bias towards hiring foreign workers. More so in my team too, I have seen my colleague hire someone who can speak his native language…why should that be the case, why can’t u guys learn to speak English instead of hiring H1b whom you can interview in Telugu language.
When you were given H1b visa in our embassies world wide nowhere did we commit to you that we will also sponsor your greencards and also give work permits to your spouses. I guess the points which this guy raised are valid though his tone seems depressing , but I think why don’t you and your spouse just pack bags and go back to where you came from instead of taking our jobs with your fake resumes. And best of all ..the guys whom you send to work for us, they do have fake resumes….a Java developer with 12 years of experience, if he can’t write a basic script then definitely either your education system is messed up or your resumes are sham.
And FYI, don’t complain, you came here …it takes 100 years or 200 years…we never asked u to come here. So stop asking for more rights, be content in what was given to u
Every human has the right to work and most importantly if we are in the line of citizenship this is our right to work and save for our retirement since GC for Indian is retirement plan with the deadly quota blockage.
Agree every person has a right to work. You are welcome to work in your country. Citizens should come first. Can you not work in your country and achieve retirement there. After all every person comes from India says American English is bad and talk negative about us. Make fun of american born indians. But the reality you are not happy in your country that why you are running here. You cannot achieve in your country without taking the money from the USA.
And YES I am an Indian. But I am a 2nd generation born in USA. I love India as well as USA. India would never allow me to work there. So why should USA. I did my schooling, college, heck I was forced to register for select a service for military when I was in school. Many American born indians have faced criticism from Indians coming to this country making fun of american born indians calling them confused desi, American desi etc. People who cannot understand the difference of English accent from different regions shows how skilled they really are. H1/EAD should be revoked.
I do not understand why H4 should be granted work visa. You came with this knowledge that you cannot work here and H1b itself is temporary worker visa. After coming here and settling down, now you want H4 also to work?..Is one salary not enough where many locals do not have jobs? If you really want to work, why cant you do some volunteer work and contribute to the community? Or go back make your careers in your own countries?
This site should be renamed to something like “The Indian Bizarre”… Everyone knows H4 is unconstitutional and should never have been allowed to begin with. Also, just because you are given the right to free speech does not permit non-citizens to shape law. You will nonetheless receive an appropriate response, and that response is access denied.
The andhra telgu people playing with us immigration system they are misusing the system why us has to show mercy with these corrupt people these people corrupted india and now trying to make us same they should not be allowed with proper paper check
what about the Gujarati population here?haven’t they scammed the immigration system?they come here with fake passports!
Please all spouses who are worried about H4 EAD being repealed , you can ask your H1 spouse to quit their job and move back to your home country
Also the best part, all H1 employers are legally required to arrange for your return tickets when H1 quits. So that will save you some money.
There your family would be together. US doesn’t need to make their citizens unemployed, just so you can stay here.
Please do not revoke , i am on H1B from last 3 year and my husband just started working one month back on EAD
I have served US with my skilled niche services for 7 years and now I am on dependent visa h4 with two NRI under 3 kids with my husband . Revoking h4 ead will separate us as I have to live out of US .. please do not revoke this last lifeline of my career or I will be blocked . Mothers are important and this move will definitely loose a confident mother of their children
The article on the petition launched on the White House website to save H4 EAD is a big eye-opener for many H1B/H4 EAD workers.
It is a good initiative by IT Pro Alliance, and I support.
Request everyone to sign the petition to gain the attention of the White House. Cheers!!
Nice Article, people should at least try to hold the Adminstration. I hope the petition gets required signatures.
Please do not revoke the H4 EAD, Lots of skilled worker are dependent on this VISA type and woking under this .