US allows automatic work authorization permits to spouses of H-1B visa holders

A US court has settled for a class-action lawsuit directing the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to allow an auto extension of up to 180 days upon work authorization for the spouses of L-1s and L-1s. H1-B Visa Holders,

The L-1 visa is valid for a relatively short period of time. L-2 visas are used to enter the United States by dependent spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 of eligible L-1 visa holders. This is a non-immigrant visa, and is only valid for the duration of the spouse’s L-1 visa.

While the L-1 spouse would get an extension without applying for it, the H-4 visa would still have to apply for an extension after their employment permit had expired.

H-4 visas are issued by USCIS to immediate family members (spouse and children under the age of 21) of H-1B visa holders. H-4 visas are issued to people who already have employment-based lawful permanent resident status in the US in the process. Over 90% of H-4 applicants are Indian women.

This year, a group of mainly Indian citizens and lawyers filed a class-action suit challenging immigration policy that bar H-4 and L-2 visa holders from working in the US until their Didn’t have work permit.

However, as directed by the court, L-2 visa holders will get a 180-day auto extension of their work authorization (or I-94 expiration date, whichever is shorter). and H-4 visa holders will receive an automatic extension of their H-4 Employment Authorization Document (EAD) as long as 180 days from the expiration of their I-94 or prior EAD, whichever is earlier.

The immigration support group has said the latest development has not streamlined the work authorization permit process for immigrants. According to him, applicants will have to spend time on the complicated process to get the H4 visa stamped for the 180-day auto extension.

The Obama administration gave the right to work to certain categories of spouses of H-1B visa holders. So far, more than 90,000 H-4 visa holders, a significant majority of whom are Indian-American women, have received work authorization.