Revoking right to work will dent H-1B spouses’ economic independence: Study

If the right to work for dependent spouses of a certain category of H-1B visa holders — those on track for a green card — is revoked, their economic independence would be severely impacted, a recently released research paper has reportedly said.

The Economic Times report that cited the report explained that the spouses of H-1B visa holders come to the US on an H-4 visa. Further, according to the report, if the primary H-1B visa holder is on track to get a green card, then the spouse can apply for an employment authorisation document (EAD), which gives them the right to find employment or become self-employed. A significantly large number of H-1B visa holders are high-skilled professionals from India.