H1-B & H 4 VISA

H1-B & H 4 VISA

Subject : International Relations

Context : A week after his inauguration, US President Joe Biden has withdrawn a Trump-era rule rescinding work authorisation for H4 visa holders, who are spouses of those possessing H-1B work visas, with majority being highly-skilled Indian women.

Concept : 

H1 B VISA

• The H-1B category is an expedient and lawful method to bring foreign-born professionals temporarily to the United States, and therefore one of the most widely sought after visa classifications for employment in the United States.
• The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H).
• It allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations.
• If a foreign worker in H-1B status quits or is dismissed from the sponsoring employer, the worker must either apply for and be granted a change of status to another non-immigrant status, find another employer (subject to application for adjustment of status and/or change of visa), or leave the U.S.
• An individual may work in H-1B status for a maximum of six years.

H-4 VISA

• An H-4 visa is issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to immediate family members (spouse and children under 21 years of age) of the H-1B visa holders, most of whom are Indian IT professionals.
• The H4 visa is normally issued to those who have already started the process of seeking employment-based lawful permanent resident status in the US.
• An H4 Visa holder is allowed to remain in the US as long as the H-1B visa holder remains in legal status.