H4 Visa EAD 2017 News – Lawsuit Status, Trump Administration Impact

Background:
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:

• 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 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 – 
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:
1. Feb 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).
2. Apr 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.

What Happens Now – Can H4 EAD be revoked by Trump Administration ? What’s the Impact ? Status ?
This is where things get tricky…It is hard to predict at this point. The Trump administration may decide not to challenge the H4 EAD lawsuit, or they may continue to fight it. I am not a legal expert, but I think there is a possibility of someone else to step in (for e.g. AILA) in case administration decides to roll back the rule. Until the Trump administration makes it stance clear, its business as usual, all H-4 EADs would remain valid, you can apply for H4 EAD, if eligible, and new EADs would continue to be adjudicated by USCIS. The current motion filed by Government for 180 days time does NOT impact the current rule in any ways, until any judgment is given by Court.

My advice would be to not fall prey to gossip and speculative rumors on revoke of H4 EAD rule by Trump Administration; and if you are on H4 EAD then have a back-up plan for the worst case scenario.  I will keep this article updated as new information emerges.

What are your thoughts ?

Related Articles

Source: Redbus h1b 1