Petition Started on White House Website Seeks 100,000 Signatures to Save H4 EAD Policy

The saying “Hope for the best and prepare for the worst” does aptly describe the current time for H4 Visa holders in the United States. As the Trump administration’s regulation to revoke the H4 EAD policy for spouses of some H1B professionals is currently under review at the White House Office of Management and Budget, a shroud of anxiety and uncertainty has enveloped the minds of nearly 100,000 foreign nationals on H4 Visa, mostly Indians.

The only ray of hope penetrating the atmosphere replete with concerns among H4 and H1B visa holders is a petition titled “H4 EAD – Please do not revoke the H4 EAD policy” on the White House website. Initiated by IT Pro Alliance, a nonprofit trade association of IT professionals in the USA, the petition is aimed at requesting the Trump government not to terminate work permit for the H4 EAD policy beneficiaries.

IT Pro Alliance based in New Jersey and having chapters across the country, opines that the petition on the White House website to save the H4 EAD Policy will make the Trump administration think of possible socio-economic ramifications of removing over 90,000 H4 visa holders from the American workforce.

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“Any rule change repealing the employment authorization for H4 visa holders would result in substantial costs to the US economy as well as Federal and State tax coffers. What’s more, those losses would not be offset at all by any increase in employment and income by domestic workers,” said Ike Brannon, the president of Capital Policy Analytics, a consulting firm in Washington DC, in a Forbes article dated March 5, 2019.

The data analysis of the nationwide survey that Capital Policy Analytics conducted among H4 Visa holders validates the fact that H4 workers are highly qualified and skilled. The survey data also demonstrates that there are not many American workers with the same or similar education and expertise to fill the positions if left vacant by the H4 workers. Ike Brannon went on to say uninhibitedly in his article, “Providing H4 visa holders with the ability to obtain gainful employment, has provided an economic and fiscal boost to the US economy.”

The First Amendment of the US Constitution has granted the right to petitioning the government to everyone in the US. The White House website includes a section “We the People – Your Voice in the White House”, which anyone can use to start a petition on any issue of mass importance. Then the petition can be shared online and offline to collect signatures. If the petition manages to collect, at least, 100,000 signatures in 30 days from the time it is created on the White House website, it will compel the government to review the petition, focus on the issue and give an official response, according to The American Bazaar Online.

Launched on February 22, 2019, the petition on the White House website to save the H4 EAD policy has received 42,500 signatures to date. Some are hold back from signing the petition by the dint of their unreasonable inhibitions about making their names and email IDs public. 24 March is the deadline of the petition. People will be able to sign the petition even after March 24 while the petition is in a queue to be reviewed by the White House. Leading US visa and immigration experts opine, “the more signatures (over the mandatory 100,000), the stronger the petition.”

Another way for H4 workers to save their work authorization from the H4 EAD-revoking legislation is to petition to their Congressmen and mount the pressure on them to take the H4 Employment Protection Act further. “Any Congressional action can propel the movement towards a solution, as all the Indian American Congressmen have been supporting the eligible H4 Visa holders’ right to work,” Amy Bhatt, the author of High Tech Housewives, told The American Bazaar Online.

There are nine steps for a legislation to become a law in the United States. The H4 EAD-revoking legislation is at stage four, at present.

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58 thoughts on “Petition Started on White House Website Seeks 100,000 Signatures to Save H4 EAD Policy

  1. Gurleen virupakshan

    Please dont stop this h4 ead rule. We guys are legal and pitching so much tax in your economy along with our skills. Moo

    Reply
  2. Deepthi

    Please do not revoke H4 EAD. 90% of the people on this status are Indian women. We, Indian women are equally qualified as men and being married and coming to Usa with H1 visa guy shouldn’t change the fate of the women. No women wants to be a burden to someone being highly qualified in education. Being a highly skilled home maker is definitely a punishment when they can do wonders in wherever they go. The morale of the women is being spoiled because of this situation. I really hope all these requests will be considered and the revoke will be stopped. May be rethinking of giving to STEM might be a solution instead of revoking for everyone.

    Reply
  3. Lathika

    I support h4 ead and pls don’t revoke it.
    We are well qualified people stuck in the green card queue and working and contributing to the us economy by paying taxes.

    Reply
  4. Meenakshi

    Dependant spouse who are qualified and skilled need an avenue to work.
    Please let this opportunity stay. It’s beneficial to the economy and also the dependant spouse can contribute to the workforce here.

    Reply
  5. Shilpa jn

    Please do not revoke H4. We are LEGAL immigrant. Also this is not a reservation, we are showing equal skill to get job in the market after spending years at home

    Reply
  6. Reena

    Please don’t remove H4 EAD.

    We are eligible to work and pay taxes which is win win situation.

    Reply
  7. Sreenivasa Murthy Kollipara

    Best way is continue current policy , it helps avoiding of separationof families for better stability of employers and economy and country as well ..

    Reply
  8. Ravin Pereira

    I support the H4 EAD.. Its main objective is to help the families that are legally here in the US and have their Green Card delayed due to the country based quota system.

    So either remove the quota restriction of keep the H4EAD. Its a no-brainer.

    The Govt should realize (which i think they do) that it takes the father and the mother to support their family..
    Having one out of work, makes it impossible to live a decent life here in the US.

    Reply
  9. Ganesh Tavarekere

    I support H4 EAD. It supports families that have been waiting long for permanent resident ship to have families work to keep up with the growing economic conditions at the United States but also contribute to the overall growth to the Countries economic growth.

    Reply
  10. Shagun Sehgal

    I plead the US government not to revoke the H4 EAD. It is imperative for both the counterparts to work for a good lifestyle, the primary reason why people move to the US. Secondly, if the quota system is the underpinning, the family should at least be able to make the most of the time-period the spend on their visa in the US.

    Reply
  11. Nitin

    I support H4 EAD. Please donot revoke it.
    This gives an opportunity to H1B spouses to work in US and support their families. This also helps in contributing to US economy.
    H1b spouses who are on H4 EAD are highly qualified and government should respect it.

    Thanks.

    Reply
  12. Kimi

    Make changes to allow them work in other areas but not as specially skilled h1b competitor.
    One h1b can make a poor family rich. We don’t want a H4 ead grab a h1 job.

    Reply
  13. Prem K

    I do NOT support as H4 EAD as Indians started bringing in caste based nonsense to this American culture. Until this H4EAD, i saw everyone in US as indians…now H4EAD bought change in culture Indians recruiting indians based on caste. Shame on Indians. If someone has to work they need to come via proper channel and I dont buy arguments that families are separate…its always personal choice and no country is responsible. Immigration and Work culture is always regulated for a reason and Indians find gaps. I have H4EAD’s in my office and such an exploitation of jobs..They dont have a clue of the job and getting job done in offshore…complete violation. Again shame on Indians.

    Reply
  14. Sreedhar Srinivasan

    Please do NOT revoke h4EAD. They are qualified persons with skills and education serving the economy .

    Reply

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